A Shinobi's Creed
by CaptainPrice
Summary: "Never leave a comrade behind," The words of a shinobi that will be remembered for generations to come. Uchiha Obito evades death on his team's mission to destroy the Kannabi Bridge in hopes to end the war. In the process he gains acknowledgement and new responsibilities as he and Kakashi take control of a small task force for the true final mission of the Third Shinobi War.
1. Mission Complete

**Yo, surprise guys! Yeah I know that I said I wasn't going to start anymore stories until I finished my others, but to be honest this one wouldn't leave my head and I decided to put it up. I'm going to follow a character that doesn't get the spotlight that much and that character is one of my favorites. The character is Uchiha Obito. So as always, just read and review, tell me how it looks and all that good stuff. I don't plan on making this story long, possibly 10-15 chapters at the most. Just as a heads up, I didn't plan on this being much of an action chapter and Kakashi was weakened quite a bit, but I only did it because I thought it seemed more believable because of what actually happened to him in the manga/anime. He'll be back up to his bad ass little self in the next chapter. Anyway, time to get to the story!**

**Just as a notification: This story is NOT yaoi, I say again, this story is NOT yaoi! The Kakashi and Obito pairing is to symbolize friendship and forming the brotherly bond that soldiers do.**

**Summary: What if Uchiha Obito never died on the mission to destroy the bridge? What if he managed to gain acknowledgement for his actions on that day throughout the leaf village? What if the war didn't end after the bridge was destroyed? What if there was one last mission to ensure Konoha's victory for the Third Great Shinobi War?**

**Bold-Jutsu**

_**Italics-Thoughts/Letters/Flashbacks**_

**Disclaimer- I do NOT own Naruto in any way and I never will. I just own the idea of the story, the story here and any possible support OCS.**

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><p>Uchiha Obito was currently trailing behind his teammates Hatake Kakashi and Inuzuka Rin. Obito and Kakashi just finished rescuing Rin from the clutches of two Rock Shinobi and now they were running to escape the collapsing cave. Kakashi was having difficulty running in a straight line with his only good eye remaining. Rin screamed when a boulder landed before her.<p>

"Rin, keep moving! Go!" Kakashi barked.

"Holy shit!" Obito yelled as he dodged a boulder.

They kept moving until finally Kakashi was struck in the head by a falling rock. He hit the ground with a hard thump, dazed and confused. Obito turned around and saw Kakashi struggling to push himself up. He hustled over to his fallen comrade and lifted him up. Looking up, Obito saw a large boulder coming directly at them. Using his strength he pulled Kakashi to his feet and jumped out of the way just in time. Rin hurried over to them and supported Kakashi's other side.

"Come on we're almost there!" Obito shouted.

The three of them began to run as fast as they could and finally jumped out of the cave just as it collapsed. Obito rolled across the ground and felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder. He sat up holding his shoulder and hissed in pain as he realized it was dislocated. Blocking out the pain he turned to look at Rin and Kakashi. Rin had Kakashi's head in her lap which made him frown a little bit. Obito stood up and limped over to them and put on a cocky smirk.

"Guess we showed them, eh?" Obito asked.

"Don't get cocky, Obito. There are probably other enemy shinobi around here." Kakashi replied.

"You're welcome by the way."

Kakashi gave a grunt and stood up slowly. Rin got to her feet and began to ease the pain on Kakashi's eye with her chakra. Obito felt a little irritated Rin immediately went to Kakashi to aid him but put it aside for now. He was about to get their attention but noticed another chakra presence. It took Obito a second to identify the chakra as an enemy. His eyes darted around the trees as he searched for the enemy. He finally located the enemy in the tree line to the east.

"Get down!" Obito barked.

Kakashi pulled Rin to the ground just as a barrage of kunai soared over them. He turned around and looked in the trees to see an enemy vanish from sight. Grabbing Rin, Kakashi pulled her over to Obito and had them stand back to back. Kakashi began to take a couple deep breaths and started to concentrate on his surroundings. Just when he found the enemy a hissing noise came from his foot. He looked down and saw an exploding tag aflame.

"Move!" Kakashi yelled.

The tag exploded and sent the three genin all over the clearing. Rin bounced on the ground and crashed into a tree. Kakashi managed to land on his feet by the cave and Obito disappeared into the bushes. Kakashi's ears were ringing as he attempted to keep his balance. He stood up with his vision slightly blurred from the attack. The attacker appeared in the clearing with a smirk on his face. Kakashi observed the attacker before him was a Chunin, which made this a little easier. He knew he could take out a Chunin without much trouble but decided to be cautious because of his limited vision. Kakashi's hand reached for his belt pouch to pull out a smoke bomb.

"Guess it's just you and me, brat!" the chunin said.

"It would seem so." Kakashi replied.

Kakashi's fingers triggered the smoke bomb which left him with five seconds to use it. The Chunin threw some kunai at Kakashi just as he tossed the smoke bomb. The smoke bomb exploded with a loud crack and black smoke filled the clearing. Kakashi made a bunshin and retreated back into the trees. He crouched down low in the bushes and looked at his hand.

"I know I haven't perfected this technique yet, but this is the only chance I have if I want to end this quickly." Kakashi muttered.

Kakashi concentrated and began channeling chakra to his hand. Eventually lightning began to surround Kakashi's hand and started to crackle. He glanced back at the clearing and rushed at the smoke. Kakashi pinpointed the location of the Chunin and brought his hand back. He gave a loud cry and thrust his hand forward. The man gave a grunt then went up in a cloud of smoke.

"A **Bunshin**? Damn-it!" Kakashi swore.

"I saw you use that technique earlier on my friend, kid. But it must be my lucky day because your sensei isn't here to save you this time." The Chunin said.

Kakashi wheeled round and was met with a slash to the chest. He stumbled back and was punched in the stomach. Kakashi fell to his back and tried to channel his chakra to his hand again but it failed. Looking at this, Kakashi realized that only having vision in one eye, no chakra and moderate injuries, he was in a lot of trouble. He saw a kunai at the base of a tree a few yards away. Using his strength he pulled himself towards the weapon. The Chunin saw this and walked over to the kunai. He picked up the kunai and looked down at Kakashi. He gave a hard kick to Kakashi's head effectively dazzling him. Kakashi was picked up by the neck and thrown into a tree. He crashed on the ground in a heap and rolled on his back.

He lifted his head up to see the Chunin walking towards him with the kunai. Kakashi felt defeated and hopeless for the first time in his life. His sensei's words came back to him as he thought about the **Raikiri**.

_/Flashback/_

_Minato was looking down at Kakashi with a serious expression. Kakashi had attempted to take out the shinobi with his jutsu but ended up destroying a bunch of clones instead. By doing that it left him vulnerable to the enemy's counter attack with the kunai. If he hadn't intercepted the kunai, Kakashi could have been killed._

_"Kakashi, you shouldn't use that jutsu anymore. From what I could see, your focal point concentrated attack undoubtedly has power and speed. But it makes you too fast to ascertain the opponent's counter attacks. It's still an imperfect jutsu." Minato informed._

_/Flashback End/_

"Just like the last time, I fell for the clone trick again." Kakashi hissed.

"I was surprised when you did that as well. I was certain you wouldn't fall for that again." The Chunin taunted.

Kakashi's hand began to search his belt again for anything he could use to defend himself. All he found, however, was another smoke bomb. That's when Kakashi suddenly remembered that Rin had one of Minato's special kunai with her. He looked over and saw Rin stirring a little bit. He looked over to Obito's position and saw him pulling out a kunai to throw at the Chunin who hadn't noticed him yet. Kakashi gave a wink at Obito and triggered the smoke bomb. Smoke filled the clearing once again and Obito threw the kunai directly at the chunin. The Chunin ducked under the kunai just in time and turned to see Obito finishing a handsign. Obito managed to send a giant fireball at the Chunin who jumped out of the way. He leapt at the Chunin with a kick.

The Chunin caught Obito's kick but took the full blow of Obito's punch to his head. Obito punched the rock shinobi in the head again before getting picked up by his leg and shirt. He was thrown into a tree and received a double punch to his stomach. Obito wheezed and spat out some blood before falling to the forest floor. The Chunin turned back to Kakashi and saw him pulling a tri-pronged kunai out of the kunoichi's pocket. Not willing to take the chance, he shunshined over to Kakashi and picked him up by his neck again. He slammed him against the tree and began to suffocate him.

"There's no way I'm letting you summon your sensei with that thing!" The Chunin sneered.

"I don't think my sensei is the one you should be worried about." Kakashi gasped out.

"What are you talking about, kid?"

The Chunin felt a sharp pain in his back and dropped Kakashi in surprise. He turned his head and saw the black haired boy holding a bloody kunai. He noticed the Sharingan in the genin's eyes and his eyes widened in shock.

"You're an Uchiha?" The Chunin asked.

Obito nodded before slashing the kunai across the man's neck. The man gagged and clutched at his throat as blood gushed out of it. He collapsed on the ground and blood pooled around his corpse. Obito took a couple of deep breaths as he watched the life drain from the eyes of the Chunin before him. Not being able to stand it anymore, he turned and emptied the contents of his stomach on the ground.

"You okay, Kakashi?" Obito asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Kakashi replied.

Obito nodded and walked over to Rin. He gently shook her awake and sat her up against the tree.

"Rin, how are you holding up?" Obito asked.

"I'm fine, just some cuts and bruises but nothing too bad." Rin said.

Obito winced as his shoulder throbbed in pain again. He grit his teeth and took a couple of deep breaths. Rin took notice of Obito's discomfort and walked over to him. She found that his left shoulder was dislocated and bit her lip.

"When did you dislocate your shoulder?" Rin asked.

"Right when we escaped the cave." Obito replied.

"You idiot! Why didn't you tell me?"

"You seemed preoccupied with other matters."

Rin winced at Obito's response because she knew he was referring to Kakashi. She felt guilt fill her as she looked at Obito's shoulder. Her disregard to Obito's status after the cave collapse didn't cross her mind since she was focused on Kakashi's eye and wellbeing. She walked over to Obito and placed her hand on his shoulder. Obito's mouth twitched in reaction to the pain.

"On three Obito, you ready?" Rin asked.

"Do it." Obito replied.

"Okay… one!"

There was a crack as Rin popped Obito's shoulder back in place. He gave a cry in surprise and rolled his shoulder a bit. Obito turned to Rin with a small smile.

"Thanks Rin, feels better already." Obito said.

"Well I should ease the pain so it doesn't swell as much." Rin added.

"You might want to hold that off for now."

"Why?"

"Look at the trees, we're surrounded."

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><p>Kakashi looked around and saw they were outnumbered greatly by rock shinobi. He cursed under his breath and his eyes darted to the tri-pronged kunai at Rin's side. Quickly coming up with a plan to ensure his team's survival he turned to Obito.<p>

"Obito, you and I will hold them off for now. Rin, you set up the kunai and get Minato-Sensei here." Kakashi ordered.

"Hai." They chorused.

"Obito, we'll take them on one at a time."

Obito handed Kakashi a soldier pill with a smirk on his face. Kakashi smirked under his mask and took the pill. He dropped the pill in his mask and swallowed the pill. Obito raised his eyebrow at the bizarre way Kakashi consumed the pill. One would think that he would pull down the mask to eat the pill. Nope, he just dropped it right in the mask itself. Obito shook his head and charged at the first shinobi with Kakashi. Rin stabbed Minato's kunai in the ground and waited for his arrival. She looked at Obito and Kakashi to see how they were holding up. They had successfully taken out four shinobi but there was no way they could hold out for long.

"Please hurry, sensei." Rin whispered.

"You rang, Rin?" a voice asked.

Rin jumped in surprise and turned to see Minato behind her. He gave her a comforting smile and pulled out one of his special kunai. Minato turned to see Obito and Kakashi working together to take out enemies. They had done well to hold out as long as they have.

"I'll take it from here, Rin." Minato said.

Minato pulled out another kunai and vanished from sight. He appeared directly behind the enemy Obito and Kakashi were fighting. He thrust his kunai into the back of the shinobi, killing him instantly.

"Minato-Sensei, you're here!" Obito beamed.

"I said I'd meet with you all later, didn't I? Now why don't you go guard Rin? I'll take care of this." Minato replied.

Obito and Kakashi jumped back to Rin and watched as their sensei vanished from enemy to enemy cutting them down. The remaining rock shinobi fled in fear after watching the Yellow Flash cut their comrades down. Minato finished off the last enemy and observed the area. Not finding any other enemies, he put his tri-pronged kunai away and tossed the bloodied kunai across the clearing as he walked over to his team.

"All of you did phenomenally well. I'm very proud of all of you." Minato announced.

"Thanks, sensei." The three chorused.

"Let's get moving. We can make it to the bridge before nightfall if we hurry."

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><p>The group had made excellent time and made it to the bridge before sunset. Kakashi and Rin were currently planting explosives on the bridge. Obito was standing beside Minato and keeping watch for any enemies. The silence felt awkward for Obito as he sat there with his sensei. Usually it would be Kakashi in his position talking to Minato, but it was him instead. Not being able to take the silence any longer Obito decided to speak.<p>

"So, what did you encounter when you separated from us?" Obito asked.

"Just the same old stuff, Obito." Minato replied.

"Same old stuff, eh? I'm pretty sure you could expand on that."

"I could, yes. But I'm more intrigued on what happened with you three. You will all have to give a report on the mission, so I'm just curious as to what happened after Kakashi took you two to carry on the mission."

"In all honesty, there are a lot of things to talk about."

"We've got time, Obito. So talk."

Obito told Minato about Kakashi taking him and Rin to continue the mission. He told him about Rin being taken captive, Kakashi's decision to abandon Rin and continue the mission. He told Minato about going against Kakashi's orders and going to find Rin. He told him about Kakashi losing his eye and awakening the Sharingan. Obito also mentioned saving Rin and Kakashi. When he was finished, Minato put a hand to his chin as he processed Obito's story. He was really impressed with what Obito did as contribution to the team. However, Minato was really disappointed in Kakashi's first decision about Rin but let it go because Kakashi eventually did make the right choice.

"I'm proud of you, Obito. But let me ask you something," Minato began.

Obito's head perked up at that but he decided to comply, "Go ahead, sensei."

"How are you feeling?"

"What do you mean?"

"You heard me, Obito. How are you feeling?"

Obito looked at his feet and began to wring his hands. He shook a little bit and felt some tears build in his eyes. He blinked rapidly to suppress the tears.

"I'm feeling guilty, sensei." Obito said.

"Every shinobi will eventually be in your position, Obito. Kakashi has gone through it, and now you're going through it. A shinobi is supposed to kill if necessary, Obito." Minato replied.

"I know that, sensei. When I killed the first guy I didn't really focus on him because of Kakashi's injury, but when I watched the life drain from the eyes of the second guy I really felt it. I mean, I don't know who I'm killing. I could be killing a father or brother of a family and now they won't see him again. I kind of regret it and I feel guilty as hell."

Minato put a hand on Obito's shoulder to calm him down. The first kill was always the hardest and it's not healthy to let the emotions build up inside. Every shinobi kills eventually and it's too overwhelming for some which sometimes leads to a myriad of follow-up choices a shinobi would make. The top ones being suicide, discharge to civilian life, or the shinobi mental hospital where one spends the rest of their days. Minato managed to calm Obito down a little bit.

"But I'm also concerned with how the council will view the mission report." Obito added.

"How so?" Minato asked.

"Well, I went against the direct order of my superior. What if they decide to strip me of my shinobi status?"

"Trust me. They won't strip you of your rank. Granted what you did was insubordination, you had a good reason. I'll vouch for you personally. Who knows, you might even get a battlefield promotion."

"The promotion would be to the rank of Special Jounin or Jounin, right?"

Minato nodded and Obito felt his lips tug upward in a smile. He gave Obito a pat on the back before standing up to stretch his legs. Kakashi and Rin just finished planting the last of the explosives on the bridge and began walking back to them. Minato pulled out the detonator to trigger the C4 on the bridge.

"This is it. Once we blow this bridge the war is over." Minato said.

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's blow this bridge to hell!" Obito cheered.

"All of you put your hands on mine. We'll blow it up together."

Minato put on hand on the trigger, followed by Kakashi then Rin and finally Obito.

"One…Two…Three!" Minato counted.

All four of them pushed down on the trigger and a loud explosion echoed around the valley. The bridge had been destroyed and was currently falling into the river below. The four of them gave a cheer as they completed their mission successfully. Now it was time to go home and celebrate.

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><p><strong>Well that was the opening chapter guys, I hope you enjoyed it, if not...damn. Anyway, I don't know when I'll update this story again, but I'll post a new chapter when something comes to mind. I have an outline of what I want to do so I'm trying to follow that as much as possible. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it and remember to read and review as always!-CaptainPrice<strong>


	2. Forgiveness and Recognition

**Hey guys, here's another update for my sidestory here 'Shinobi's Creed'. Now I would like to thank you guys for the reviews, I really appreciate it and I'm glad a lot of you like it so far and hopefully this chapter matches the greatness of the previous one. I would like to ask one thing though. While this is a Naruto story, I know I'm going to be limited review wise since no one reads about the side characters since they all like to read about Naruto mainly. So I would appreciate it a lot if you guys could recommend this story in a shout out or suggest it to some people you think would enjoy it. Anyway, let's get on with it shall we?**

_Italics-Thoughts/Letters/Flashbacks_

**Chapter Summary: Obito is suffering from guilt after his first kill and seeks advice on how to deal and overcome it. Back home, we see the reality and costs of war and Minato informs the Sandaime of Obito's actions during the mission.**

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><p>Obito sat up from his position on the ground and was about to dust off his pants. Just as he was about to do that, his eyes caught sight of blood. Lots and lots of blood. The grass below him was soaked crimson and it made him stagger back in surprise. There was a body of an Iwa Chunin lying in the puddle of blood. Obito recognized it as the man he had killed earlier that day. He gave a cry of surprise when he saw the blood on his hands.<p>

Obito's eyes snapped open and he bolted upright from his sleep-mat. Sweat trickled down his face and into his eyes. Rubbing his now stinging eyes, he stood up and trudged over to the pond nearby. After kneeling by the pond, Obito took a look at his reflection. His eyes that were once happy and care free were now dead and cold. He splashed his face with water and took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself. It helped a little bit, but he could still feel the guilt churning inside of him. He felt tears threatening to fall and shook his head before screwing his eyes shut.

"No, you will not cry. You did what you needed to do!" Obito muttered to himself.

"Yeah, you did." Kakashi agreed.

Obito gave a startled jump in surprise when Kakashi made himself known. He heard him give a light chuckle at his reaction. Shaking his head, he turned to look at his now one eyed teammate.

"So what are you doing up this late? Shouldn't you be resting after losing your eye?" Obito inquired.

"I could be asking you the same thing. What are you doing up this late, Obito?" Kakashi challenged.

"I couldn't sleep. I've been thinking about the guy I killed earlier today."

Kakashi took a seat by the pond and pointed to the grass beside him. Obito nodded and sat beside Kakashi and waited for him to speak.

"Okay, Obito, I've done the same thing you did for the first time today and I know it isn't easy." Kakashi informed.

"I know you did. Minato-Sensei was telling me about your experience with your first kill." Obito replied.

"Ah, so that's what you guys were talking about. That aside, what did he tell you to do to cope with it?"

"He told me that it was good I opened up and talked about it. However, he didn't really give me advice to deal with it. He just told me that every shinobi goes through it."

"Sensei's right. Obito, if you want this to get any easier, you need to find a way to deal with it."

"How did you do it?"

"Everyone has a different method. I found it easiest if I practiced destroying a henged bunshin of the first man I killed to simulate a real kill. The more I practiced it the easier it became for me on the field."

"That's just disheartening, Kakashi."

"And like I said earlier, everyone has a different method. What I just told you was my way of breaking free from the guilt. If that doesn't work for you then find another way to deal with this problem, Obito. It'll only get worse for you on missions if you don't rectify this problem soon."

Kakashi stood up and walked back over to his sleep-mat. He turned on his side and brought the cover over his shoulders before falling asleep once again. Obito sighed and walked back to his sleep-mat to try and get some more sleep before they moved out in a few hours.

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><p>Team Seven trudged into the village gates early the next morning. All four of the teammates looked exhausted and rough from their lack of sleep and completing their latest mission. The early morning citizens that were on the streets were looking at them and whispering to one another as they passed. Obito heard snippets of various conversations, each one referring to Kakashi.<p>

"There he is! Oh my, what happened to his eye?" A woman asked.

"I wonder how his first mission as a Jounin went?" Asked another.

"Knowing him and his skill, it was probably a cinch." A man replied.

"He's just like his father." Another commented.

Obito was having a difficult time keeping himself from shouting out his frustration about how the mission actually went. If anything, in Obito's opinion, Kakashi's mission wasn't bad but it wasn't good either. He made some good decisions and some poor decisions.

_"If they only knew."_ Obito thought to himself.

The group entered the Hokage's building and climbed the stairs to the office. Minato knocked on the door awaiting Hiruzen's approval to enter.

"Come in!" Hiruzen called.

Minato opened the door and his team entered. Closing the door behind him, he stood in front of the Hokage's desk with his team for the briefing. The Veteran shinobi puffed out some smoke from his pipe as he pulled out four files. Each file had the names of each teammate and documents from past missions inside.

"Report." Hiruzen coughed.

"Hokage-sama, my team and I have successfully completed in destroying the bridge to prevent further resupplying to Iwa troops on the front lines." Minato replied.

"Excellent work, your actions may have just ended this war. You two are dismissed, and I want your mission reports no later than nine-hundred hours tomorrow. Minato, Kakashi, I need to speak to you two about a couple of things before I let you go home."

"Hai, Hokage-Sama!" Obito and Rin replied.

Rin walked over to say goodbye to Kakashi which made Obito frown. He turned on his heel to leave but stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Obito came face to face with Minato who had a smile on his face.

"I'll be sure to inform Hokage-sama about your contribution to the mission, Obito." Minato whispered.

"Thanks, sensei." Obito nodded.

Obito walked to the door and exited it, not bothering to wait for Rin.

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><p>Obito departed the building and began heading to the Uchiha district. His mood suddenly dropped at the thought of returning home. He would have to endure each disappointed look and insult from his fellow clansmen. Thankfully his mother was not ashamed of him so that was a relief. As he walked between the morning commute, he could feel eyes of fellow shinobi and civilians on his back. Putting up a grin to mask his true feelings, he continued down the road. He already knew each look was of shame and possibly pity because of his reputation and how he was representing a clan as prestigious as the Uchiha.<p>

_"If smiling like a jackass and pretending their stares and insults don't bother me makes me look like I don't care, then I guess I can put up with it for a little longer."_ Obito thought.

His feet stopped just outside the compound's gates and he took a deep breath. Obito entered the complex and was greeted by the morning guard from the Uchiha Police Force. The guard smirked at him when he saw his ID.

"How'd the mission go crybaby?" The guard taunted.

"It was fine, how's the start of your shift treating you?" Obito replied with a grin.

The guard seemed a little disappointed that Obito didn't take the bait and waved him off. Obito sighed at the first insult which happened to be his nickname that everyone called him.

"One down." Obito muttered.

Obito continued his trek back to his house. His nostrils caught the smell of his mother's cooking and it made him drool. It would be great to eat a home cooked meal instead of an MRE for the first time in three weeks. Deciding not to wait, Obito began to run home as fast as he could. He turned left and narrowly avoided knocking over a vendor's vegetable display.

"Watch it brat!" The man hollered.

His cry fell on deaf ears as Obito felt a true smile come to his face as his house came into view. Obito stopped outside his house door to catch his breath before he opened the door and went inside.

* * *

><p>The smell of some bacon and eggs filled his nostrils once again. He entered the kitchen and tossed his file on the table. Best get it done while he ate his breakfast or he would completely forget it. Obito's mother, Uchiha Taki, was standing over the stove and cooking some eggs. Taki was a woman in her mid-thirties. She had long black hair which was currently tied into a bun, brown eyes, pale skin, and she stood at a respectable five and a half feet. Obito leaned against the counter and wrapped his knuckles on its surface a couple times. Taki turned around and her face turned into a look of relief and happiness.<p>

"Hey mom." Obito smiled.

"Welcome home, Obito," Taki replied as she hugged him.

Obito's eyes scanned for his father but found no sight of him. That must have meant that his dad was back out on the front lines leading his recon team.

"Is dad here?" Obito asked.

"No, he's been in the field with his team for the past three days," Taki said as she set some bacon and eggs on a plate.

"Oh, okay."

Taki placed Obito's breakfast at the table beside his file and Obito sat down to devour his food. His mother sat across the table from him with her breakfast and started to eat.

"So what happened on your mission?" Taki asked.

Taki watched as she saw Obito's demeanor changed from relaxed to tense. Her eyes narrowed as she saw her son's hand begin to shake a little bit. In her years as an ANBU operator she was able to read people instantly.

"Obito, what happened?" Taki asked again.

"I… I had my first kill." Obito stammered.

"How are you holding up?"

"Honestly, I'm a mess."

Taki stood up and walked over to Obito and embraced him. She felt her son shudder in her arms and stroked his hair soothingly.

"It's okay, Obito. Let it out." Taki whispered.

Obito took a deep breath and began to calm himself down. He began to think back to what Kakashi told him last night and knew he needed to get over this quickly or else he would go insane.

"Mom, how did you deal with the guilt after your first kill?" Obito asked.

Taki released Obito and looked into his eyes. Her first kill left her shaken for quite a while and it still haunts her today.

"My team helped me. They engaged me in a combat exercise and came at me with the intent to kill. So I did what I was trained to do and fought back. During that exercise, it made me realize that the only way to get rid of the guilt was to combat it. I know it sounds wrong and twisted, but the more enemies I killed throughout my missions the easier it got," Taki informed as she crossed her arms.

"Just like Kakashi."

"If you're really feeling bad about this, Obito, you should go see a priest. Go confess what you did on your mission and see if earning forgiveness will help you."

Obito opened his mouth but closed it as he thought about what his mother said. He already told Minato and Kakashi and that didn't help much. Maybe earning forgiveness from a servant of God may be a little more helpful.

"I'll give that a try," Obito agreed, getting up to leave.

"Not like that you're not. Eat your breakfast and clean yourself up before you do that. You've been out in the bush for three weeks and you smell like ass." Taki nagged.

"Alright, alright, dang!"

Obito sat down with a pout and glanced at his mother out of the corner of his eye. She had a triumphant smile on her face as she resumed eating the rest of her breakfast. Obito smiled a little too as he started eating.

_"Thanks mom."_ Obito thought.

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><p>Obito had finished cleaning himself up and was walking back into the village. He would have the house to himself tonight since his mother was going on a mission with her team to the front lines. His feet carried him through the busy streets once again and towards the hospital where the priest was most likely granting last rites to some dying shinobi.<p>

As Obito entered the hospital, he felt his stomach knot up and a chill go up his spine. It looked more like a morgue than a hospital. There were gurneys lined up against both walls of each hallway with a white sheet covering each body. Obito felt bile rise in his throat and quickly swallowed to prevent himself from losing his breakfast on the lobby's floor. How many of his comrades gave their lives in these past three weeks? One hundred? Two hundred? More? His hands tightened into fists as his eyes wandered to each corpse.

"Can I help you?" A nurse asked.

"Uh yes, I was looking for a priest. Is there one here right now?" Obito responded, remembering why he was there in the first place.

"There is, Father Callahan is upstairs visiting some patients right now."

Obito thanked the nurse and started his trek down the hall. As Obito traversed the hall, he swore he could feel death's presence lurking behind him. It suddenly felt cold as ice as he neared the door to the staircase. He quickly pushed the door open and hustled up the stairs, not being able to tolerate the feeling anymore. Reaching the third floor, Obito entered the next hall and his face went pale. More bodies of fallen shinobi were lined up against the wall.

"Damn-it," Obito muttered as he clenched his fists again.

Obito continued walking down the hall and peering into each open room as he searched for Callahan. Each room brought more gruesome sights. Some shinobi he had seen were missing limbs, their medical bandages were stained crimson, and a lot of them were crying in pain and he even heard some begging to be killed. Obito came to the last room and trudged in and found a man garbed in black robes with a book towering over a bed. Obito leaned against the wall and felt sick to his stomach again as he saw the floor had puddles of blood both fresh and dried on it.

"Father Callahan?" Obito inquired.

"Yes, what can I do for you my child?" Callahan replied.

"I, I was wondering if I could confess my sins to you if you have the time."

Callahan turned around and faced Obito with a look of some relief. The poor man was probably exhausted from giving last rites to shinobi all day. Callahan was a man in his mid-fifties. He had emerald green eyes, tanned skin, and his hair had grown grey with old age. Callahan gave a nod and gestured toward the door. Walking into the hall, Obito went to sit on a nearby bench. Callahan accompanied him moments later and sat beside him.

"Forgive me Father, for I have sinned." Obito began.

"Go on." Callahan answered.

"On my last mission I took the lives of two men and I wish to be forgiven."

"Were these men you killed enemies wishing harm on you or were they innocent civilians?"

"They attempted to kill me, Father. I acted on self-defense and my duty as a shinobi to stop them from killing me and my teammates."

"Ah, I see. "

"How can I earn God's forgiveness?"

"You have taken your first step by coming to confess to me, child. To finish gaining forgiveness, say ten prayers to God and pray on your own time every night before you go to sleep this week."

"Thank you, Father."

Obito stood up and sighed. He was feeling a lot better for confessing to Callahan. It was as though all the weight on his shoulders had suddenly vanished and had been replaced with a peaceful aura.

"How are you feeling, child?" Callahan asked.

"A lot better than I thought I would actually." Obito replied.

"I'm glad to know that I was able to help. Should you wish to confess anything else again, you can find me here."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Obito bowed to Callahan and turned to leave. Callahan watched as Obito vanished from sight and felt a small smile spread across his face. He could tell that boy was feeling a lot better than he had before he confessed.

_"Lord, watch over that child. He has a great task ahead of him. I can feel it,"_ Callahan thought, as he went back down the hall.

* * *

><p>The morning light penetrated Obito's eyes as he gave a groan. He opened his eyes and came to terms with his surroundings. Looking down, he could see a small puddle of drool on the cover of his file and remembered he was writing his report last night. Glancing at the clock he swore loudly when he saw the time. He was supposed to be at the Hokage's office fifteen minutes ago. His serene sleep was too grateful to him last night.<p>

"I'm a dead man," Obito said to himself, as he placed his report into his file and dashed out the door.

* * *

><p>Minato, Kakashi and Rin were standing in front of Hiruzen wondering where Obito was. Minato had a hunch that Obito either slept in or spaced out. Hiruzen looked calm but one could tell he was growing impatient with Obito's tardiness. He gave a sigh as he leaned back in his chair and puffed out some smoke from his pipe. There came a crash from outside the door, making the occupants turn to it. Obito bolted into the room. His clothes were disheveled and his hair was unkempt.<p>

"Nice of you to join us, Obito." Hiruzen greeted.

"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama, I overslept." Obito apologized.

"Well do you have your report?"

Obito nodded and set his report on the desk. Hiruzen picked up the folder and his eye twitched when his hand touched the drool on the file. He placed Obito's file on top of Rin's, Kakashi's and Minato's before wiping his hand on his robes.

"Now then, I have your pay for your mission here," Hiruzen said as he placed four separate bags of money on his desk.

Once the team took their respective pouches they awaited dismissal.

"All of you have the next two days off. Obito, I need you to stay behind for a second." Hiruzen informed.

Obito went stiff when he heard that and began to wonder if it was in regards to his insubordination towards Kakashi on the mission. He looked back to Minato and saw him give a nod as he left with Kakashi and Rin. Obito gulped and turned back to face his leader.

"What do you need to talk to me about, Hokage-sama?" Obito asked.

"I just have a few things to discuss with you about your mission and I need you to verify if they're true or not." Hiruzen answered.

Hiruzen pulled out Minato's file and opened it to the first point he marked. Looking back up at Obito he could tell the boy was nervous about what he had to say.

"Is it true that during your mission you were placed under Hatake Kakashi's lead when Minato went to aid a platoon on a nearby front?" Hiruzen began.

"Yes, sir." Obito nodded.

"You were given specific instructions from Minato to do what Kakashi told you to do?"

"Yes."

"Now is it also true that during the mission that Inuzuka Rin was taken captive by some Iwa shinobi and Kakashi told you to carry on with the mission and leave Rin behind?"

"Yes, sir. That's true."

"Now, I've read through Kakashi's report and it said that you disobeyed his order, struck him with a punch, and told him you were going to retrieve Rin?"

Obito felt his throat getting drier with each question. He swallowed and nodded in confirmation.

"I will have to inform the shinobi council about this, Obito, insubordination is not tolerated." Hiruzen continued.

"I understand, Hokage-sama." Obito replied.

"We don't need to go over what happened in between since Minato told me about it yesterday when you left. I must say I agree with him in saying that you did the right thing by going back for your comrade. You also did well with being second in command and protecting your team long enough for Minato to arrive."

"Yes, sir."

"I have agreed with Minato saying that you should have a battlefield promotion for your actions. You are now a Jounin of Konohagakure, but before I officially give you the rank, you need to await the decision after your hearing."

"Hearing?"

"When I tell the council about your insubordination, it's up to them whether or not you are disavowed or suspended from duty. Now, your inquiry is tomorrow morning at ten-thirty, dress accordingly and don't be late. If you're late you are just asking them to suspend you. Minato and Kakashi are both going to attend to recount the mission and give support."

"I see."

"That's all I had to talk to you about for now, Obito. You're free to go."

Obito bowed to Hiruzen and began to exit the room. He stopped when Hiruzen called out to him.

"Obito, for the record, you did the right thing. You were in perfect grounds to break the code and I would have done the same thing." Hiruzen said.

"Thanks, Hokage-sama. That means a lot coming from you." Obito thanked.

* * *

><p>Hiruzen nodded with a smile and dismissed him with a wave of his hand. Obito closed the door behind him and stood there for a moment. He was silently praying that he wouldn't get disavowed or suspended. He just got promoted to Jounin and there was no way he planned on losing his career over something so ridiculous. As he left the building, he thought back to what Minato told him a couple days back.<p>

_Flashback_

_ "Trust me. They won't strip you of your rank. Granted what you did is insubordination, but it was for a good reason. I'll vouch for you personally." Minato assured._

_ Obito looked his sensei in the eye and could tell he was being serious about backing him up. He gave a nod and smiled in gratitude._

_ Flashback End_

"I hope you can help persuade them, sensei. You too, Kakashi." Obito muttered.

* * *

><p><strong>Alright guys, that's the chapter and I hope you enjoyed this. I'm not sure how I felt towards the end there, I think I overdid it with the dialogue between Obito and Hiruzen and should have included more narration. I'll try to update this again when I get the chance but college and ROTC will always come first before this, so in my absence please leave a review saying whether you liked it, hated it, and all that good stuff. I have some points at the end here that I thought you guys might want to know. See you next time,have a happy Valentine's Day, too!-CaptainPrice<strong>

**1.) MRE - (Meal Ready to Eat) I eat these things when I have my field training and I gotta tell you, you'll get sick of them after a while haha. If you ever get anything like a brownie or lemon cake if you're lucky, keep it because then you can trade it for something else good. Kind of like an auction for the best choice of food. MREs have meals such as roast beef, chicken, tuna, etc. Look them up if you're curious as to how they work.**

**2.) Obito/Taki mother son moment- That little bit I used at the end there with Taki being a nagging mother is exactly something my mom would tell me if I was outside all day and about to go out to socialize.**

**3.) OC (Callahan)- I'm just curious as to how you guys thought he was as a character. I tried to bring in the Catholic religion a little bit with the confession and the last rites. Hopefully none of you guys were upset about me doing that. **

**4.) I used military time for those who aren't sure what nine hundred hours stood for. It stands for 9 in the morning. I'll probably use military time throughout the story since I believe it would be more fitting. **


	3. Defending a Belief

**Hey all, here I am with another long overdue update for the story. I'll save you the author's note for the bottom so let's get to the chapter.**

**Chapter Summary: Obito's hearing takes place in which a decision is made. The words of the young Uchiha will either be the taken to heart or ignored and result in his downfall.**

**Bold-Jutsu**

_**Italics-Thoughts/Letters/Flashbacks**_

**Disclaimer- I do NOT own Naruto in any way and I never will. I just own the idea of the story, the story here and any possible support OCS.**

* * *

><p>Uchiha Obito stood at the chair waiting for the command to take his seat. He had been nervous for the past day for his trial and it was to the point that he woke up even earlier than he planned. His throat was dry and he could feel his whole body trembling from the stress that he knew was coming. Obito took a deep breath and released it to calm himself down. Getting anxious was not going to help him in this situation. If he was to defend his beliefs against the council, he would need to do it with a calm approach.<p>

Obito could see Kakashi and Minato out of the corner of his eye and felt more relaxed when he did. He knew the pair of them were there to support him and backup his claims. A door opened from behind the council seats and one by one, the chamber began to fill with the clan heads, advisors, and finally, the Hokage himself. Obito felt some sweat beginning to form on his brow and wiped it clean.

"Councilmen, please take your seats." Hiruzen requested.

Each clan head sat down and looked down at Obito with neutral expressions. Obito swallowed whatever saliva was in his mouth to keep his throat from going dry. The next people to sit down were Hiruzen's advisors, Koharu and Homura. Finally, Hiruzen took his seat and looked Obito in the eyes.

"Please sit down, Obito," Hiruzen said, opening a file.

Obito didn't waste any time and immediately glued himself to the chair to wait for the questions to be asked. Hiruzen pulled out the mission report and placed the statements from each member of Team Minato in front of him.

"Councilmen, at this time you are free to open the file regarding Team Minato's mission and prepare any questions you have for Uchiha Obito." Hiruzen informed.

Sweat began to form on Obito's hands as he watched the councilmen flip through the pages of the mission report and formulate their questions. Taking this as an opportunity to form his answers, Obito began thinking on what to say in his defense. Five minutes had passed by the time the council came up with their first round of questions. The first one to speak was Yamanaka Inoichi.

"Uchiha Obito, I will start with the most obvious question. Why did you disobey your superior when on your mission?" Inoichi asked.

"Councilman Yamanaka, I disobeyed Kakashi's order on the mission because he was too focused on the mission instead of freeing our teammate who was without a doubt our most valuable member. As all of our reports state, I did strike Kakashi before abandoning the mission to conduct a search and rescue for Rin." Obito replied.

"You are aware that insubordination is not tolerated with the Shinobi Corps, correct?"

"Yes, I am."

"Now do you know what it says in the Shinobi Creed?"

"During the academy days we learned the values of the Shinobi Corps and we learned the Shinobi Creed as basic entry level students. I'm aware that the section of the creed you are referring to is 'I will always place the mission first,' and I understand that the Shinobi Corps holds that in high regards."

"I have no more questions at this time, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen nodded and glanced at Obito from under his hat. He was glad Obito was being compliant instead of his loud and headstrong self in this situation. If he continued acting the way he did, he had a high chance of gaining the favor of some of the councilmen to keep his career. Minato and Kakashi were also relieved to see Obito acting mature for a change. They knew that while Obito was a bit of a loudmouth and a smartass, he did know where to draw the line and be serious. The councilmen flipped through the reports again and began to formulate their next round of questions. The next person to speak up was Nara Shikaku.

"Uchiha Obito, how is your relationship with your team?" Shikaku asked. "After reading about you assaulting Kakashi, I feel we need to see where your standing is."

Obito opened his mouth and closed it. He already had a strategy to say the truth and not sugarcoat anything in the report if asked about it. After pondering what to say in response to Shikaku, he sat up straight and looked him in the eyes.

"Honestly, I find that my relationship with my team is poor. I know most if it is on my part for being obnoxious, but I just feel as though that I'm unwanted by my comrades. I know Kakashi and I have a strong rivalry as it is, but he's always viewed me as an annoying pest. Rin, although it pains me to say it, is a fangirl and will agree with anything Kakashi says or does. So her opinion is the same as Kakashi's. The only member on our team that I believe has any form of respect for me is Minato-sensei." Obito replied.

This caused some murmurs to go through the relatively silent room. Obito took a moment to spare a look at Kakashi and Minato. Minato had a frown on his face, but it was one of disappointment. It was one of painful truth at Obito's answer. He knew that Kakashi and Rin weren't thrilled to have him on the team when they were assigned together after the academy. Although he wouldn't say it out loud because it would be biased, Minato had a soft spot for Obito and held him in value around Kakashi's level, if not higher. Kakashi had a look of shame on his face. Granted he thought Obito was annoying, his opinion of him shifted after completing their latest mission.

Kakashi's respect for Obito rose when he stood against him in an opinion he strongly believed in. He also saved his life, not once, but twice on the same mission and he saved Rin. His mind drifted to what Obito said about his father and he felt sick to his stomach. Deep down, he knew that his father would be disappointed with his behavior towards his teammates.

"If you had the opportunity to switch teams, would you go through with it?" Shikaku asked.

"As much as I would want to, I wouldn't be able to do it. I've formed too many bonds with my teammates and I don't think I can just walk away from that." Obito replied.

"I see. Now if we decided to grant you permission to stay in the Shinobi Corps, would you try to rectify the relationship with your team?"

"That would be my first priority. On the last mission we finished, I believe that my actions have brought us closer together. It's also shed some light on the life of soldier for me. It's made me realize that the bonds one forms with their team will be closer than your own family. The reality of it is once you graduate the academy, your true family is your team."

"I see. Thank you for answering my questions."

Obito let out a breath after Shikaku concluded his questions. He still had a long way to go before his hearing was done. He was relieved that he managed to stay calm and give answers for each question that was presented to him. His confidence went up a little bit as he believed that he would be able to successfully pull this off and maintain his career and promotion. A couple of minutes went by before the next councilman, Akimichi Chouza, made clear he would be next to question Obito.

"Uchiha Obito, it has come to our attention that you were given a battlefield commendation and promoted by the Sandaime. How do you believe you would operate as a team leader for future engagements?" Chouza asked.

"I believe I am more than capable of leading a team in the field. I'm aware that I have little experience as a leader, but I want to be able to do my part to help with this ongoing war." Obito answered.

"I'm happy to see your confidence is still strong with such a responsibility that being a Jonin brings."

"Thank you, Councilman Akimichi."

"I have no further questions at this time, Hokage-sama."

Chouza unfolded his hands and scribbled something down on a piece of paper. Obito believed it revolved around the decision to keep him in the Shinobi Corps and felt his stomach do a cartwheel in anxiety. So far it appeared that the decision to keep him in the Shinobi Corps was promising, but he still had a lot of councilmen that had to question him. He took a deep breath to diffuse the anxiety building inside of him and awaited the next round of questions. One by one the councilmen asked Obito about the mission and his state of mind on being a shinobi. After almost an hour and a half, the councilmen finished their questions. Now it all boiled down to Homura's and Koharu's decisions on whether or not his career would stay or terminate.

"We'll be taking a short recess. The hearing will resume in ten minutes and by that time we shall have a verdict." Hiruzen announced.

The councilmen got up from their seats and followed Hiruzen into a room to the side. Obito stood up and his legs felt like they would give out from under him. He stretched and walked over to Kakashi and Minato. Minato held out a glass of water for Obito who took it and gulped it down. After giving his thanks, he set the glass on the table and began to twiddle his thumbs.

"Relax, Obito. I believe you have this in the bag." Minato assured.

"Well we'll see when they come back, Sensei." Obito replied.

"Obito, is that how you really see me and Rin as teammates?" Kakashi asked.

Obito bit his cheek when Kakashi asked him that. He knew it was coming but he wished Kakashi would've held it off just until his hearing was finished with. He was stressed out enough with the possibility of losing his career.

"Yeah, I do. I'm sorry if it seems harsh, but to be honest, even you know that's true deep down, Kakashi." Obito nodded.

Kakashi looked down and ran a hand through his hair. He did in fact know that Obito was right. If he felt ashamed before, it was even greater now. Kakashi knew he had to make amends with his comrade and start treating him with respect. He knew Obito deserved it after everything he did for him and Rin.

"You have every right to feel that way, Obito." Kakashi agreed. "I know I've treated you poorly and I know that I haven't been fair to Rin either. I'm sorry."

"It's alright, Kakashi. Besides, I believe you learned your lesson about that and I know that you will be taking every step to improve yourself as a leader." Obito answered.

"Well, when they tell you that you can remain in the Shinobi Corps, I'll be looking forward to working alongside you."

Kakashi held out his hand and waited for Obito to shake it. Obito took his hand and gave it a shake, sealing the promise. The door opened again and the council members filed out with Hiruzen. After everyone took their seats again, Hiruzen cleared his throat after puffing out some smoke from his pipe.

"We have reached a decision on the matter at hand," Hiruzen muttered, his eyes appeared to hold strong resentment.

"We of the Shinobi Council find Uchiha Obito in violation of the Shinobi Code. As punishment, he will be discharged from the Shinobi Corps to civilian life. He will no longer be able to have any privileges the Shinobi Corps provides and will be unable to re-enter the academy or the Shinobi Corps ever again." Homura stated.

Obito's world seemed to slow down as he heard those words. He was getting discharged from the Shinobi Corps for doing something that was more than reasonable. His hands clenched in shock and anger as his mind raced with what his future was to hold. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he barely heard Kakashi's and Minato's objections.

"Homura, I must object to this verdict!" Minato stated. "Uchiha Obito has done nothing wrong. He risked his life to save his comrades two times during that mission. Had he not done what he did, that mission you assigned my team to destroy the bridge would not have been accomplished."

"Minato, I ask that you do not speak out of line. Our decision is final. Granted what Uchiha Obito did was admirable, he broke the values that the Shinobi Corps has engraved on the plaque. No shinobi will want to work with someone who doesn't put the mission first when it's the most important task. If anything, we're preventing him from having a poor career record."

"What you're doing is throwing away a talented shinobi!"

"Minato, if you speak out of line one more time, I will have to ask you to leave."

Minato closed his mouth and leaned forward on the table. His hands were trembling with anger and if he were to speak again, not only would he be thrown out, he would just make things worse for his student. Cursing under his breath, he took a long breath in an effort to calm down, but even that was proving to be challenging. Kakashi was faring no better than Minato. He found the ruling completely unjust and decided to speak out as well.

"Councilman Homura, please, I implore you to reconsider this decision," Kakashi pleaded. "If you go through with this, not only will you lose a promising shinobi, but you will lose one more."

"What are you talking about, Kakashi?" Homura asked.

"I'm saying that if you are discharging Obito from the Shinobi Corps, then you'll have to dismiss me as well!"

Murmurs broke out amongst the council. Losing Kakashi would definitely cause a problem. Not just to the Shinobi Corps, but it would also set off a chain reaction. Once one left, others would follow.

"I can understand your anger, Kakashi. However, we will not allow you to leave the Shinobi Corps. We've seen your actions on this mission and we need you for this war." Homura said.

"You need me? Then you need Obito as well. Granted we may have just ended this war a couple days ago when we destroyed the bridge, but there are still battles being fought. You need all the help you can get." Kakashi shot back.

"While that may be true, we could easily have others fill Obito's position." Koharu interjected.

"This is ridiculous. You're really going to discharge Obito just for doing what he believed was right?"

"While it may be a ridiculous in your eyes Kakashi, Obito disobeyed an order. Your order no less and that was a count of insubordination. He also broke the Shinobi Creed in doing so."

Kakashi looked down at the table and gripped it tightly as he tried to calm down. He couldn't believe that Obito's noble actions were being overlooked because of a stupid creed that needed to be corrected. Minato was in the same boat as Kakashi. He was furious at the ruling and he couldn't do anything about it. He was helpless and he loathed that feeling with a passion. Minato glanced to see Obito's reaction and could only see the calm and relaxed posture of his student. It was as if he knew that was the decision they settled on before they came to it and he was just taking it in stride.

"Uchiha Obito, do you have any last words you would like to say before we discharge you?" Koharu asked. "You now have the floor."

Obito blinked as he continued looking at his crossed legs. He had been mulling over a possible defense statement but since that was now out of the question. He decided to leave by stating his belief on the Shinobi Creed. Obito took a deep breath and sighed before standing up to deliver his speech.

"Fine, I'll take full responsibility for my actions and I understand the punishment that came with what I did. Whatever, I'm okay with that," Obito said, clenching his fists.

"What I'm not okay with is this stupid belief that if a shinobi breaks the creed that they ought to be punished for their actions. That is complete and utter bullshit! I did what I did because the way I saw the situation at hand is that we were combat ineffective and if we hadn't gone to get Rin, the mission was a doomed failure. I took the risk to rescue not only a comrade but a friend of mine who in the long run will be more family to me than my real one because the bonds that teams form as soldiers will be stronger than a family bond because they will become your true family!"

Obito took a deep breath to recollect himself before continuing his rant.

"If you want to compare a similar situation like this, I would like to bring up the case of Hatake Sakumo. You all remember him don't you? The legendary White Fang? You know what happened on his mission? He placed his comrades over the mission and saved them. You know what he got as thanks for the most honorable thing I believe a shinobi has ever done? He was rewarded with scorn and shunned for his actions, even from those he saved! We all know the result of the toll it took on him and it all happened because of a stupid creed that you still enforce! One that needs a lot of refinement might I add." Obito continued.

"Uchiha Obito, I must ask you calm down." Homura said.

"I will not calm down. You gave me my time to speak so I will do just that! Now shut up for five Goddamn minutes so I can finish!"

Homura's mouth closed at Obito's retort. He didn't take too kindly to Obito's response and was about to open his mouth to try and stop him again but a warning glare from Hiruzen stopped him in his tracks. Hiruzen turned to Obito and nodded for him to continue with what he was saying.

"Like I said, I'll accept the consequences of my actions, so now I'll do as requested and hand over my hitai-ate," Obito said, pulling off his headband and placing it on the table in front of him.

He kept his hand on it as he reminisced when he first earned it and how accomplished he felt when doing so. As he continued to dwell in the memories he had while wearing the headband, he became somber and it felt as though he was losing his identity. He glared back up at the council to give his last bit of his speech.

"Before I depart, I will like to ask all of you to think about my words here and put yourself in my shoes. What would you do if you were in my position? Would you be able to live yourself after choosing a mission over your friends?" Obito asked.

He took his hand off of his headband and it felt as though a kunai went through his heart in doing so. Taking a deep breath he stood upright and prepared to leave but decided to give out the last of his thoughts.

"And for the record, this whole speech of mine wasn't about my trial, nor was it about the injustice the creed brings upon our shinobi. This is about our shinobi being too afraid to do the right thing because of a biased system! If my trial has to serve as the catalyst to change the creed so another shinobi doesn't have to deal with a similar circumstance like mine then so be it. I'll warn you all right now though. I may be finished as a shinobi, but don't think for a second that my words hold little credence. If that creed isn't changed soon, I'll personally bring the whole corrupt system down on top of you. Those who quit are trash, but those who abandon their friends are worse than trash!" Obito declared.

With that being said, Obito did an about-face and marched out of the room. The doors slammed shut behind him, allowing silence to fill the chamber. No one could say anything. The words that Obito had left them with sunk in and they all knew deep down that he was right. Kakashi and Minato were both proud of Obito. He stood his ground and made his point by bringing up some critical bits of information. Kakashi was surprised and glad that Obito referenced his father as a key point about the unjust creed. His father was a victim of the creed and it took Obito's speech to show him that. Minato and Kakashi stood up and exited the silent room, leaving the council to process Obito's words.

"So what happens now, Minato-sensei?" Kakashi asked.

"Well now that Obito's been discharged I guess that leaves our team on the inactive roster until we are given a suitable replacement." Minato replied.

"No one can replace him."

"I know and that's why I plan to talk to the Sandaime about this. I may have more leverage with him than Homura, Koharu and Danzou."

"Think you can get Obito back into the Shinobi Corps?"

"It's worth a shot."

* * *

><p>Obito trudged down the bustling street, ignoring everything around him. His dream to become the best shinobi was snatched away from him and he couldn't get it back. He felt empty and there was nothing he could do to fill the void. He hadn't felt this hopeless before and the feeling it gave was draining him. Obito was so lost in thought that he failed to hear the person trying to gain his attention. It took someone's hand on his shoulder to stop him and make him come back to reality. Obito turned and came face to face with Rin. On a normal day he would have been thrilled to have the girl of his dreams pull him aside to talk to him, but not even Rin could shake the feeling.<p>

"Oh, sorry Rin. I didn't notice you," Obito said, a fake grin replacing his frown.

"I called your name three times and you didn't answer. Are you okay?" Rin asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm just tired."

"How did your meeting with the council go?"

Obito's grin faltered for a moment before returning with full force. He didn't want Rin to know the outcome of the trial and he didn't want her to worry about him either. He decided to lie, even though he hated to do it. Rin would eventually learn the truth, but he didn't want her to worry. Then again, she probably would be ecstatic that he would be off the team and she could be with Kakashi like she always wanted.

"I think it went well. They said they would send me a messenger tomorrow when they came to a decision." Obito replied.

"Oh, well I guess no news is good news." Rin nodded.

"Yeah, I guess so."

Both of them fell silent and Obito used the opportunity to leave.

"I'll see you around, Rin. Kakashi and Minato-sensei can tell you the details of the trial," Obito said, walking away.

"Okay," Rin replied, watching Obito's retreating form vanish in the crowds. "I guess I'll go find Kakashi and Minato-sensei."

* * *

><p>In the chamber, the council was silent. They had been mulling over Obito's words for the better part of an hour. He had made a bunch of valid points in his last words of the trial. Each member of the council had thought long and hard on the word Obito said and came to a decision.<p>

"So it's agreed?" Hiruzen asked.

"It's a unanimous decision, Hokage-sama." Shikaku answered.

"Very well. I'll send for Minato to tell him."

* * *

><p><strong>Alright all, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. To answer why this is late... I was just Naruto'd out and feeling somewhat demotivated. My main goal as a Naruto writer was to reach the level of Kingkakashi, Kenchi618, Narutoenthusiast, VFSNAKE, etc, however I have not succeeded in doing so. I'm not sure what the main thing is if it's my writing style or just lack of attention getting, I don't know. But you know what? Even though I may not get to that level, I still enjoy writing and will continue to do so. I will update again when I can but it will be hard since I'm fairly busy this year. <strong>

**Below this author's note I will address some points and give a story shoutout. I hope you're all enjoying your Christmas and that this chapter was a good present. I'm going to spend the rest of my day reading a book I got "No Easy Day," as well as watching "A Christmas Story." Merry Christmas everyone and I'll see you next time. -CaptainPrice**

**Points: **

**1.) To Dilivium, thanks for the review and support. Now that bit with Rin not being an Inuzuka. To be fair they didn't release her last name until recently and I already have it in the story. So she'll stay an Inuzuka since it was the most logical clan she was in because her face markings were similar to theirs.**

**2.) Obito being Tobi, I was ecstatic because I knew it had to be him. When it was revealed I was like, "I fucking called it! Yes! Score one for me!"**

**3.) I believe I had Obito in character for the most part because his personality basically mirrors Naruto's. So I just imagined how Naruto would've acted and I believe this is how Obito would react as well.**

**Story Shoutouts:**

****Naruto vs Sasuke: The Aftermath by Kingkakashi- A story that starts directly after the failed Sasuke retrieval mission. Without a doubt one of the best stories I have come across for the Naruto category on fanfiction.** This story grips the readers attention from start up to the most recent chapter. Definitely a legendary story by an outstanding and legendary author.**


	4. Reinstated

**Hey everybody, here's another update for 'A Shinobi's Creed' it only took me a year to make. Christ, that's sad, even for me. Sorry for the lack of updates, but I just don't find myself into writing Naruto stories as much as I used to, namely because there are hundreds on here that blow mine out of the freakin' water. Anyway, I'm back with an update and I hope you enjoy it. I particularly had fun writing this chapter. Read and review if you are feeling generous. Either way, enjoy.**

**Chapter Summary: Rin finds Kakashi and Minato and learns the truth of what went down at Obito's hearing after she became suspicious about his abnormal behavior. Meanwhile, Obito goes to a spot that he enjoyed throughout his childhood to clear his head, but soon finds himself in a heart to heart conversation with someone.**

**Bold-Jutsu**

_**Italics-Thoughts/Letters/Flashbacks**_

**Disclaimer- I do NOT own Naruto in any way and I never will. I just own the idea of the story, the story here and any possible support OCS.**

* * *

><p>Rin was walking down the early evening streets in between crowds of people. She was searching for Minato and Kakashi after Obito told her about his trial and saying that she should ask them for further details. As she went through the crowds she would occasionally bump into somebody, not even bothering to apologize as her mind was elsewhere. Namely, it was drifting back to Obito. A frown came to her face as she thought about her teammate. Her encounter with him about a half hour ago was strange. Obito appeared lost and not himself like he usually was when she saw him. It was as if he seemed to be hiding something and was reluctant to share it with her as he gave her a quick dismissal after she greeted him on the street. She sighed and crossed her arms as she came to a stop.<p>

"Obito, what are you not telling me?" Rin muttered. "Did something else happen during your trial?"

Rin looked up and turned her head to see Kakashi and Minato sitting down inside a barbeque restaurant. Her face lit up as she found the two people she was looking for and she hurried inside to speak with them. As she walked to their booth, she could see the troubled looks on their faces and was immediately curious as to what was eating at them. She stopped beside the table and garnered their attention and their expressions quickly became happier. Rin inwardly rolled her eyes at their poor attempt of hiding their emotions and sat beside Kakashi. She decided not to bring up their mood unless she had to and was ready to figure out what happened at Obito's trial.

"Hey," Rin greeted with a smile. "How are you two doing?"

"We're doing well. We just decided to get some food after finishing up the hearing," Minato replied as he leaned back.

"So, where's Obito? Wouldn't it be better to be celebrating that he wasn't discharged for his actions?"

Rin knew that Obito was not with them as she saw him heading home but she was trying to fish out any information about the trial that she could before she brought out the big guns. There was something that she was not being told and she was going to find out what it was.

"He's not here. He went back home," Kakashi said as he looked at her.

"Oh, okay. I just thought I'd ask because I bumped into him on the street before coming in here," Rin replied.

Minato and Kakashi did not say anything as Rin responded. Rin could make out no change in demeanor between the two of them and continued to pry for information.

"So, how did his trial go? He didn't tell me all the details when I pulled him aside but he said he believed it went well."

This time, Rin got the reaction she was looking for. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kakashi's eyes quickly dart to the table and Minato's brow furrowed. Rin looked between the two of them and crossed her arms as she waited for an answer, but it never came.

"It did go well, right?" Rin pried.

"What exactly did he tell you?" Minato asked.

"It's like I just said, Sensei. He said he believed it went well and that he said to talk to you two for all the details. To be honest, it seemed as though he was eager to avoid the conversation and get home."

"I can imagine why," Kakashi muttered as he rubbed his eye.

Now Rin knew that something did happen after she caught Kakashi's comment. Obviously Obito lied about what he told her and now she was determined to find out what happened.

"So, are you two going to tell me what actually happened?" Rin asked.

"You're a sharp girl, Rin," Minato said with a chuckle.

"Girls are very perceptive. All I had to do was bait you both with what I knew and your reactions gave me the answer. So, talk."

Minato just chuckled and shook his head at his student. He had to give her credit for her clever technique and insightful nature. As much as he wanted to keep the trial a secret from Rin until he and Kakashi could sort out the situation with Obito and possibly get him back in the Shinobi Corps, it was not going to pan out that way now. He looked at Kakashi and nodded at him to start informing Rin of what happened during the trial. Their food was placed on the table and the three of them started to eat as they told Rin what happened.

As Kakashi and Minato took turns telling parts of the story, Rin was appalled with everything she heard. Rin was not too concerned for Obito's hearing as she believed his actions were just and that Minato's and Kakashi's words would be more than enough support to keep him free from any trouble. Now that she found out he was relieved of duty because of his decision for doing an honorable action, she wished she could go back in time and attend the hearing. If she was there to give her support, it may have given more leverage towards his favor.

With what she heard next though, it threw her for another loop. Kakashi then told her of the questions that the council asked Obito ranging from his relationship with them as a team and how he would operate as a Jounin if they allowed him to stay in the Shinobi Corps. When she heard Obito's beliefs on each of them it shocked her. She already knew that the opinion about his relationship with Kakashi was true because she saw it on a daily basis, but she did not expect his opinion of her to be as critical as it was. She felt offended at first when she learned about his true opinion, but she did not say anything.

As she thought about it, she looked back on all the instances she, Obito and Kakashi were together and then played out each memory. Going through each memory made her feel as though she had reached a new low. Obito was right about her. She would follow Kakashi's lead more and always side with him, regardless if his beliefs were good or bad. Rin looked down at the table and hugged her sides as she continued with her reflection.

"Obito is right," Rin said aloud.

"What was that?" Minato asked.

"I said Obito was right about me. About all of us for that matter."

"Yeah," Kakashi agreed as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Pardon my language, but I feel like a total bitch now."

Minato waved her apology aside. She was a kunoichi and swearing came with the job and he personally had no problem with cursing if it was used in an appropriate setting and the one they were in now was one of those times. He took a long drink from his glass and set it back down on the table. He pulled out some money and extra for a tip to pay for the food.

"Kakashi, Rin, finish up eating. We're going to see the Hokage," Minato said as he stood up.

"For what, Sensei?" Rin asked.

"We're going to get our teammate back in the Shinobi Corps one way or another," Kakashi said as he squeezed by Rin. "What better way to do it than go talk to the boss himself?"

"Count me in."

Rin got out of the booth and followed Kakashi and Minato out of the restaurant and into the street. Just as they were about to take off for the Hokage Tower, they were stopped by Nara Shikaku as he came up to them. The sudden arrival of the Nara clan head got Minato's attention and he was curious as to what he was doing.

"What are you doing here, Shikaku?" Minato asked.

"I was sent to find you," Shikaku replied with a shrug. "The council found it appropriate to send me to deliver you this message which alone is troublesome in itself."

"Okay. What did you need to tell me?"

"It's in regards to Obito and his hearing."

"What about it?" Kakashi asked.

"Well, let's put it this way…"

* * *

><p>Obito had been home for almost an hour. His mind was still adjusting to the fact he was no longer a shinobi as of an hour ago. He arrived home to see his mother was cooking dinner and she asked him about the trial. Not wanting to talk about the thing that was causing his downtrodden attitude, he told her the bare minimum she needed in order to get the message. Since telling her, she did not bring it up and only spoke to him to tell him that dinner was ready. He did not feel hungry and for the first time in his life, Obito felt truly defeated. He did not know what to do. What was there to do now that he was no longer a shinobi? What was his purpose in life now?<p>

"Damn-it," Obito muttered as he dragged his hands down his face.

He sat up in his bed and looked out his window. The sun was just beginning to set on this bad day and the next day that came would no longer be better. He was now trapped in an endless slump and that frustrated him to no end. He let out a sigh as he left his room in just his pants and his black t-shirt. He made sure to keep his footsteps faint as he crept to the front door to not alert his mother. Obito quietly opened the door and closed it behind him as he stepped out into the cool evening air. He glanced down the streets which were now almost empty as the Uchiha families were beginning to eat dinner.

His legs started to carry him down the road and to the river a couple of blocks away that he would always go to skip stones or fish at. As he walked to the river, he wondered whether or not Rin found Kakashi and Minato and asked them about his trial like he suggested to her. If she had found them, chances were she now knew the whole story of how his hearing went and he was pretty sure that Rin was ecstatic about his departure from the team as he was no longer in the Shinobi Corps.

Obito finally came to a stop at the riverside and picked up a flat stone. He tossed it up and down for a bit before he chucked it with a flick of his wrist. His eyes watched the stone as it bounced a couple of times across the river's surface before vanishing into the depths. He squatted down and picked up another rock and looked across to the other side. When he was younger he always tried to skip a stone all the way to the other side but the closest he ever got was halfway. He looked across the bank and concentrated once again as he tossed the rock with the flick of his wrist. Once again the rock bounced five times and sunk midway. Obito grimaced at failing his task once again as he plopped down on the grass. His fingers picked up another rock but he held onto it as he continued to eye the other side. As he twirled the smooth stone between his fingers, he sensed someone coming up behind him. He did not bother to greet the person as he had a good idea who it was.

"I knew I'd find you here," a masculine voice said.

"Well, you found me," Obito replied, not looking back.

"I figured I would. I remember bringing you here ever since you were a little kid, especially if you had a bad day."

The man then took a seat beside him and picked up a smooth rock. He wound his arm back and threw it with a flick of his wrist. His rock bounced twice and sank into the calm river. Obito glanced at the man out of the corner of his eye. The man was easily six feet tall. His eyes were onyx black, his hair was black and in a wild style and he had a fair complexion. The man was Uchiha Takashi, his father. Obito said nothing as he looked back at the river and continued to twirl the stone between his digits.

"I heard about everything from your mother," Takashi said

"And?" Obito replied, not wanting to talk about the subject.

"I was surprised, yet at the same time I wasn't. Especially after I heard about the verdict they gave you for your hearing."

Obito scoffed and stopped fiddling with the rock and clutched it tightly. His father was always hard on him when he was younger to push him as he got older to become the young man that he was now. If what his father said was true, then he knew about him awakening the Sharingan and his first kill. While his father may not have been the touchy-feely type of person, he was able to usually break through to him and help pick him back up.

"So, Mom told you about me being dismissed from the Shinobi Corps?" Obito asked.

"To be fair, when she said you were on trial for insubordination I knew that they were going to hit you with that verdict," Takashi replied as he looked at his son.

"Really?"

"Obito, outside of the insubordination, that was not what truly got you expelled from the Shinobi Corps. Placing you comrades over the mission was the final nail in the coffin for you."

Obito's fists clenched hard at that. Now he was going to get the same lecture that he got today from his father. Not that it would not make any difference now but it still angered him that he was getting a fresh reminder about it, from his father no less. He was struggling to keep his anger in check and he knew that depending on how much his father pressed the issue, he would explode. He said nothing as he waited for his father to continue talking.

"You know how high we hold the creed, so why did you break it?" Takashi asked.

"Why are you asking? Mom told you everything, so you already know why I broke it!" Obito retorted.

"Don't take that tone with me. All your mother told me is that you saved your friends before continuing the mission. I am just trying to fill in the blanks."

"I did it because I saw that we were combat ineffective after Rin was captured and she was our medic, so the mission was botched either way. I decided to ignore Kakashi's order and go after her because I personally would not be able to live with myself if I left a comrade behind, especially if it was my teammate."

"I see. So, your friends are more important to you."

"So what if they are? What would you have done if you were in my shoes at the time? I did it because I believe the creed is total bullshit if it places the mission as top priority over your comrades! Excuse me for doing what I believe is right!"

A loud smack echoed around the bank. Takashi pulled back his hand and said nothing as his eyes stayed on Obito. The surprise slap had stunned him but Takashi only did it to calm him down so he could answer his son and stop his rant.

"Boy, if there is one lesson I taught you that I want you to remember is to always keep your composure. If you are ruled by your emotions, it will be the end of you. In this case with your latest mission, it was," Takashi replied calmly.

"So, you're saying that my emotions are what got me booted out?" Obito challenged. "I find that hard to believe. Everyone loses their cool at some point."

"Be that as it may, what I am trying to tell you is that I do not condone what the council did and that I believe you were in the right. If I was in your position, I would have done the same thing, especially if it was my teammates or you or your mother for that matter."

Obito's widened briefly as his father made that revelation to him. For the first time today, Obito turned to look his father in the eyes and saw nothing but pride in them. He was stunned that his father, the ultimate hardass, was agreeing with his decision. He thought his father was one of the old, hardcore shinobi that believed in the old laws, but he was wrong. Obito felt his father put a hand on his shoulder and he saw him smiling at him. The first true smile of the day came to Obito's face as he felt a lot of his anger vanish when his father told him those words.

"I'm proud of you, Obito," Takashi said as he ruffled his hair.

"Thanks, Dad," Obito replied as he swatted his hand away.

Takashi's face became serious again as he looked at his son.

"I know I've been hard on you growing up Obito, but that was because I saw you had an unlimited amount of potential inside of you and the only way to bring it out was to push you," Takashi said as he picked up another rock.

"I figured as much, but still, would it have killed you to give me some form of acknowledgement for the milestones I achieved? I know you did for some, but it really messed with my head and gave me the impression you did not want to be involved in my life," Obito replied.

"I feared that if I gave you too much attention that you would never reach your true potential. You need to find what you want in life and go after it and the only way to do that is to build your self-esteem and desire to chase it."

"I see what you are saying. Although, I have to say that's still a little messed up."

Takashi laughed at his son's response as he wound his arm back and threw the stone he was holding. This time the stone skipped long and far and fell just a few feet short of the opposite bank. Obito saw how far his father got and sent a small glare at him. How was his father able to do that? He was never able to get that far and the fact that his father just did it was like another slap to his face. The two of them sat in silence for a moment and watched as the sun was now almost setting behind the trees on the other side of the river.

"Obito, you may not be a shinobi anymore, but I want to tell you something," Takashi said as he stood up.

"What's that?" Obito asked as he looked up at him.

"While you may not be a shinobi, don't let that stop you from going after your dreams. Don't let this incident swallow you and turn you into a helpless pile of nothing. Cowards do that and that's not you!"

Obito blinked as his mind processed his father's words. It was in that moment that Obito realized that his father did pay close attention to him otherwise he never would have said those words. Smiling to himself, he stood up and twirled the rock in his fingers again as he looked at the opposite bank. Right when he was about to throw the rock, his father spoke again.

"Do you know what some elders say when you skip stones?" Takashi asked.

"No," Obito replied.

"Well, I guess you can say it's a fable of sorts and if you choose to believe it, that's your call."

"Enlighten me, Dad. I want to hear it."

Takashi looked at his son and smiled again. He crossed his arms as he looked across the river where his rock landed.

"They say that when you have a dream, you take one of these stones and skip them across. If your dream is strong enough, it will reach the other side. Although, like I said, it's a fable," Takashi explained.

Obito did not find the story silly at all. He would not admit it, but he was enthralled with fables and stories that elders told because they usually were true in some way. When his father finished telling him this one, it immediately became his favorite. He looked down at the smooth, oval shaped rock he was holding and then looked across the river. He closed his eyes and thought about his dream. When he finished, he opened his eyes and took a short jump step and flicked his wrist. The rock skipped once, twice, three times and continued until after twelve skips. There was a small crack as the rock landed on the other side. Obito blinked for a minute and grinned. Not only did his rock finally reach the other side of the river, but if the fable was true, that meant he would achieve his dream someday.

"Look at that," Takashi said with a nod.

"I finally made it across," Obito said with pride in his voice.

"Yeah, you did."

Takashi put his hand on Obito's shoulder again and smiled down at him.

"Come on, let's go home. I'm sure your mother is going to throw a fit if we aren't back in time," Takashi said as they started back up the hill.

"Right," Obito replied.

The father and son started their walk down the street back home. As they walked, Takashi though back to the fable and looked down at his son.

"So, what was your dream?" Takashi asked.

"My dream was that if I somehow go back into the Shinobi Corps, I would do whatever it took to change the Shinobi Creed to prevent other shinobi from being looked down on like the White Fang was. It is unjust and our shinobi are too afraid to do the right thing because they are afraid of being shunned by their comrades," Obito replied.

Takashi smiled again at his son and ruffled his hair again. He was proud of the young man his son had become and knew deep down that his son would succeed with his goal. The reason he knew that was because his son did not know how to fail.

* * *

><p>The two of them opened the door to the house and entered the dining room to see Minato, Kakashi and Rin sitting in it. In front of Minato was a green vest and Obito's Hitai-ate was resting on top of it. A knowing smile came to Takashi's face as he quietly left the room and entered the kitchen where Taki was.<p>

Obito looked at his teammates, somewhat confused as to why they were sitting in his house. He walked over to the table and sat in the open seat beside Rin. His team all looked happy about something and he was sure he was about to find out why.

"So, what are you guys doing here?" Obito asked.

"We were in the neighborhood and decided to drop by," Kakashi said with his eye smile that was strangely starting to catch on.

"I'm sure there's more to it than that, right, Cyclops?"

Kakashi sent Obito an irritated look at the joke.

"Too soon?" Obito asked.

Kakashi was about to retort but Minato cleared his throat to stop the tension from growing. He looked at Obito and his signature grin was on his face.

"We are here because we wanted to give you a surprise together," Minato said.

"Yeah, it was all Rin's idea," Kakashi noted.

"No it wasn't!" Rin denied.

"What are you three talking about?" Obito asked as he looked at the three of them.

"What if I were to tell you that the council had a change of heart after you gave your speech to them and they decided to reinstate you into the Shinobi Corps as a Jounin?" Minato replied as he pushed the vest and his Hitai-ate over to him.

Obito blinked for a minute as Minato's words entered his ear and circled around his brain. As his mind tried to comprehend what Minato said, he shook his head to clear it. He looked at Minato who was still grinning.

"Wait… what?" Obito asked bewildered.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, that's the chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I find that I have to have a long break for these stories before I put up a new chapter because I'm sure I have acquired a newfound respect for my writing and the quality. With these four chapters here, I'm sure that backs up my belief because of the level I believe they are at and if I try to pump out chapters quickly, they won't be up to par with them. Anyway, I have no idea when I'll update next, so I guess I'll just say keep an eye open and I'll see you next time. Later.-Captain<strong>

**OC Introduction:**

**Uchiha Takashi: Obito's father. Although he is hard on his son, he does it to push him to succeed as a shinobi and into becoming a man. He and his wife Taki are both former ANBU operators and now are part of recon teams for the Third Shinobi War as Jounin team leaders.**

**Story Shoutouts:**

******Naruto vs Sasuke: The Aftermath by Kingkakashi- A story that starts directly after the failed Sasuke retrieval mission. Without a doubt one of the best stories I have come across for the Naruto category on fanfiction.** This story grips the readers attention from start up to the most recent chapter. Definitely a legendary story by an outstanding and legendary author.** (Rated one of the best Naruto authors on this site, might I add.)**

**Naruto: Potential Realised by Iron Monkey Fist**

** A damn fine addition to the Naruto archives. It is spectacular in terms of quality, plot and literature. Give it a read. I am sure you will not be disappointed. This story is one of those that I mentioned in the top author's note that blows mine out of the water.**


	5. Being a Jounin

**To the two people that read this story, I am back with an update! Yes, I know it's shocking to see this come almost six months after as opposed to a year. The chapter, albeit short is important as it revolves around character development. Anyway, let's get to it!**

**Bold-Jutsu**

_**Italics-Thoughts/Letters/Flashbacks**_

**Disclaimer- I do NOT own Naruto in any way and I never will. I just own the idea of the story, the story here and any possible support OCS.**

* * *

><p>Obito was sitting at the table with his teammates, still bewildered at the news that they came to tell him. He was being reinstated into the Shinobi Corps just hours after the council decided to discharge him for insubordination on his last mission. To say he was stunned was an understatement. He was thunderstruck, but he was also barely able to keep his joy from surfacing.<p>

"They want to bring me back in as a Jounin?" Obito asked again, just to be sure he was not dreaming.

"That's right." Minato nodded. "So, what do you say?"

"I'm ready to come back!"

"I figured you would be."

Obito picked up his Hitai-ate and tied it on his head once again. The second he did that he felt as though he was back to normal. When he had to hand it over hours ago he felt naked and lost without it. He then looked down at the solid green vest that was just like the one Kakashi received not too long ago. He put it on over the top of his clothes and zipped it up as he stood up to examine himself.

"It looks good on you." Minato beamed.

"I agree," Kakashi said with a nod. "Although I still say it looked better on me."

"Hey, don't ruin this for me!" Obito shot back.

"It's just a joke, Obito. Calm down." Kakashi waved his hand.

Obito gave a smirk at his rival and sat back down. As he sat down his mind drifted off to the council. He was curious about what made them change their minds about bringing him back into the Shinobi Corps. They were never keen on revoking a decision they made, and the fact that they chose to overrule their previous verdict on a serious matter surprised him to no end.

"So what made those old geezers change their mind?" Obito asked.

"Obito, you shouldn't address them so rudely!" Rin scolded.

"Hey, can you seriously blame me? They were the ones that made that stupid call!"

"I know, but still, you shouldn't let that continue eating at you. They were just doing their job and while all of us believe they made a stupid decision like that, you should still understand that they were doing what they thought was right."

Obito rolled his eyes at Rin's retort as he found it completely wrong. To him, anyone who made a decision like the council did with his trial was an idiot who had no moral compass. He still knew that he would not have gotten in that mess if he did as Kakashi ordered, but they would be in a completely different situation than they were now.

"Anyway, can you guys fill me in on my question?" Obito pressed.

"Shikaku was the one who came and told us that they decided to reinstate you," Kakashi replied. "I honestly think it was what you said in that last part of your trial that persuaded them to reconsider their choice."

"Oh, really? I guess they may have some morals after all."

Kakashi let out a sigh at Obito's sarcasm and knew that it would take a while for his friend to cool off and let this incident go. He decided not to mention the trial unless Obito continued to bring it up and instead started to think about how his teammate would handle the job of being a Jounin. Kakashi learned that being a Jounin was not easy the hard way. It was not just skill that made the Jounin. It took leadership, mental fitness, emotional stability and the ability to make decisions to succeed. Since he and Obito became a team when they graduated he was able to see everything he was good with and what he struggled with.

Kakashi knew Obito was excellent with combat, especially now that he unlocked his Sharingan, and he was good with thinking of strategies on the fly. He knew Obito's key weakness was his emotions and a lot of his decisions were based on them. While having a sense of morality and being able to use emotions to cope with the circumstances he faced, Obito was often clouded by them and it proved to be costly when that happened. His most recent escapade being disobeying Kakashi's orders and going to save Rin alone which almost resulted in him getting killed by the Rock ninja that ambushed him. As a Jounin, Obito could not afford to do that and that was the one thing he needed to harbor control of if he wanted to succeed at his new position with as less stress as possible to keep a healthy state of mind.

Kakashi knew that Obito was capable of masking his troubles, but even the strongest mask would eventually crack. He had to make sure that Obito knew everything that was at stake with his new rank.

"Well, we can go out and celebrate your promotion and reinstatement tomorrow." Minato stood up. "I have to get home or else Kushina will chew me out for not getting home on time for dinner."

"She can't be that scary when she's mad, can she?" Kakashi asked with a raised brow.

The color seemed to drain from Minato's face to the point he was almost white as a sheet. That was all Kakashi needed to see to realize his mentor was not joking in the slightest.

"Kakashi, just pray you don't ever see her mad." Minato chuckled nervously. "There's a reason why she was nicknamed the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero."

"Does it have something to do with her hair?"

"I shouldn't have told you anything at all. Just don't say anything about that in front of her because she will probably kill me… and then maim you."

"How badly maimed are we talking?" Obito chipped in.

"Have you ever heard of a Shinobi named Kureshima Taiki?" Minato replied.

"No."

"Exactly."

Kakashi and Obito felt a chill go down their spines at Minato's response. They got the joke that there was no Shinobi named Kureshima Taiki as it was merely just a way to mention the emphasis of pain that Kushina would inflict on the poor soul that ever angered her. While the three men of the team shuddered at the thought of Kushina being angry, their female teammate was sorely tempted to tell Kushina of their conversation. She knew Kushina personally and looked up to her, so she did not take it too kindly when her teammates teased her in secret.

"Sensei, you do know Kushina is my friend, right?" Rin asked as she crossed her arms.

"Yes…" Minato slowly answered, not liking her tone. "Why?"

"Well, she and I talk on a daily basis about the things we've heard and done…"

"Rin, don't you dare..."

Too late. Rin smirked and bolted for the door leaving Minato, Kakashi and Obito behind with looks of terror etched on their faces. Kakashi and Obito exchanged looks before looking at their teacher who look as though he was standing in front of the devil himself.

"Well, you're screwed." Obito grimaced.

"I'm faster than her! I can survive this!" Minato said as he pulled out his tri-pronged kunai.

"You'd better get a move on if you don't want her to kill us."

Minato nodded before looking back at Obito with a more serious expression.

"Listen, Obito, since you're a Jounin now, you have to attend staff calls every Tuesday at noon," Minato said. "So you need to be at the main conference room in the Hokage's Tower tomorrow."

"Got it." Obito nodded. "I'll be there on time to start with a good impression."

"Good. I would suggest getting together with Kakashi tomorrow so he can fill in the blanks for you and what you should expect."

With that, Minato vanished in a yellow flash in a desperate attempt to catch Rin and save himself from his girlfriend's wrath. When he was gone, Kakashi stood up and looked back at Obito. He did not say anything as he walked for the open door, but he stopped a moment later.

"Let's meet tomorrow morning for breakfast and I'll give you the rundown then. Does that sound good?" Kakashi suggested.

"Yeah, that works for me." Obito smiled.

"Good. Don't be late."

Kakashi disappeared into the night as he closed the door behind him and left Obito alone to his thoughts. Obito was interested in learning the tasks that came with his new promotion, yet at the same time he was sure that Kakashi would tell him more than that. He decided to go to bed early to be on time for his meeting with Kakashi in the morning.

* * *

><p>Obito was running down the street to the restaurant their team always got breakfast at. He was mentally kicking himself as he ran as he had slept in and was about to be late for his meeting with Kakashi. He skidded as he rounded a corner and nearly knocked over a tower of boxes stacked outside of a kiosk.<p>

"Sorry!" Obito called out as he waved at the vendor.

"Watch where you're goin', you freaking brat!" The merchant hollered.

Obito did not bother to retort as he continued his sprint for the shop that was now in sight. His heart-felt like it would burst from his chest as he panted for air. Although he was in good shape, his cardio was not the best and it was now starting to take its toll on him. He stumbled to a stop and hunched over to catch his breath outside of the restaurant's entrance. His eyes saw two feet appear in front of him and he looked up to see Kakashi with a smirk behind his mask.

"Wow, you actually made it. Is the apocalypse coming?" Kakashi said.

"Screw… you." Obito wheezed out.

"Stand up and rest your hands on the back of your head. It will help the air into your lungs."

Obito did as Kakashi suggested and gasped for air. He could feel the strain on his lungs and the burning sensation that came with it and almost hunched over again just to deal with the uncomfortable feeling. He could feel his breath coming back as the rough sensation left. His face dripped with sweat and he wiped it clean before they entered the restaurant.

They made their way over to the usual spot their team occupied when they came in to eat and sat down. Within seconds they had some water in front of them and they had their orders taken. When the waiter left, Kakashi turned back to Obito and crossed his arms.

"Before I give you the lecture, I want to know what you personally believe what it means to be a Jounin," Kakashi said as he rested an arm on the table.

Obito was a little thrown off by Kakashi's approach, but he was not one to fumble for a response. He was able to think on his feet and he was sure Kakashi was testing him a bit with what he requested him to do. He already had a fair idea of what a Jounin was and what they did, but he was sure that Kakashi was going to correct him if he said something wrong or neglected to say something. He was also sure his teammate was not expecting a textbook answer like Rin would give.

"A Jounin is a Shinobi recognized by his peers for his leadership and ability to make choices no matter how difficult they may be," Obito began. "They are professionals at their job and are considered as mentors to the Shinobi below them and it's their job to make sure that they prepare their mentees to meet the standards expected of them to succeed as a cohesive unit."

Kakashi was a little surprised at Obito's thorough definition of a Jounin and was fairly impressed with it as well. His answer was not exactly the textbook definition, but it was a well worded answer for him. For the most part, Kakashi agreed with the answer, but he needed to know what Obito believed made Jounin successful. He was sure that he was going to get into a debate with his teammate over his answer and he was not looking forward to it, but it was necessary to help get him on the path to becoming a great Jounin.

"That was a good definition of a Jounin," Kakashi said as he sipped his water through the straw. "Now let me ask you this. What do you think makes a Jounin successful?"

Now Obito knew he was going to struggle a bit with this. While he had an idea of what the answer was, he was sure he was not getting the big picture of Kakashi's question.

"Is it because they are mentally and emotionally stable?" Obito replied.

"Yes, but it's also because of their leadership and the decisions they make." Kakashi nodded. "You just said it a second ago."

"Right…"

Obito sheepishly rubbed the back of his head when he heard that. He was right, but he did not take the decisions and leadership into account with the emotions and mentality of a Jounin. His eyes narrowed at that and he was now starting to see where Kakashi was going with their conversation. He was ready to take any advice and criticism Kakashi was going to hit him with, but he was ready to come back with his own opinions.

"Do you know why I asked you that?" Kakashi asked.

"No, but I'm sure you're going to tell me, right?" Obito smirked.

"Obito, I want you to keep an open mind for what I will hit you with now because all I want is for you to understand what your new job demands of you so you can be ready to meet the standard."

"Fine. Let me hear it."

Obito listened to Kakashi as he began telling him what duties came with being a Jounin. He explained to Obito what the daily life of a Jounin was and that it required him to be on his feet constantly. He also learned about what took place at the staff calls during the week. The staff calls included updated intelligence about news and military strength and movement of other nations so everyone was aware of what was taking place around the nations. The next big part of the staff call was to make sure all the Jounin knew of the training that was scheduled to take place within the next week as well as important missions that had to be done, but since they were still in a war against Iwagakure, most of the training had been suspended and only missions were being carried out.

"So that mission we had to destroy the bridge will be discussed during the staff call today, right?" Obito asked.

"That's right." Kakashi nodded. "Hopefully that was the last mission we had to do. I mean, you already know that we were assigned to destroy it since it was a key travel route for Iwagakure's supplies and without it, we can make this war of attrition come to an end."

"Is it possible we may have more coming since we destroyed it?"

"I would say so. Hopefully we don't, but that's highly unlikely. We still have men out in the field doing missions and until there is a decisive victory, we will keep getting them."

"Okay."

"Anyway, let's continue. We got a little off topic with that."

Kakashi then shifted his talk from the staff call to the mental and emotional level a Jounin was required to have to function properly. This is where he had to be careful with what he said as Obito may get very defensive with him. He continued by telling Obito that Jounin were professionals and did not allow themselves to be ruled by their emotions. They were supposed to stay calm, cool and collected and they were not allowed to release their emotions unless they were alone and out of the field.

"What are you getting at?" Obito narrowed his eyes.

"Remember, I'm just telling you what I think your weakness is," Kakashi replied. "I know you have the capabilities to be a great Jounin. You do an excellent job with thinking on your feet and you will only become more adept as a fighter now that your Sharingan has been awakened."

"Right… but what is my weakness?"

"You let your emotions rule you."

Kakashi's words echoed inside of his head. He knew that he was an emotional person, but he did not view it as a weakness. He felt that having emotions and using them provided some sanity as he felt that bottling them up would only hurt his performance. He personally felt that he could not do that as he would be changing who he was as a person and he could not stand the thought of lying to himself. He was about to open his mouth to retort, but he stopped when he played Kakashi's words in his head over again. It was just like his dad mentioned to him the day before when they were having their talk about his trial.

_"If you are ruled by your emotions, it will be your downfall."_

Obito said nothing as he continued replaying the words in his head.

"I don't view showing emotions as a sign of weakness," Obito said as he drank some of his water. "I say it helps me."

"Obito, you may think that your emotions help you, but they don't. Not in this profession." Kakashi shook his head.

"I think they help because it makes you more human, especially after doing all this crap. If I don't show any and bottle it up, I would go insane!"

"All right, that's your opinion, but I'm telling you this because of what you are about to get yourself into with this new position. If you are an emotional person, you need to learn how to control them because they can cloud your judgment which will leave you vulnerable to making a bad decision. That's all I'm trying to say."

Obito shook his head and sighed. He knew all the challenges that came with being a Jounin and he knew that Kakashi and his father were right about keeping emotions in check. He said nothing as the waiter came back with their food and set it down in front of them. Kakashi picked up his chopsticks and scooped up the first bit of food and looked up at Obito with a more relaxed look.

"Look, I'm just telling you what Minato-Sensei wanted me too," Kakashi began. "If he was here now, he would be telling you the same thing."

"I know, I know," Obito replied with a sigh. "You're right. I will have to make difficult choices and I can't let my emotions rule which one I choose as I have to pick what will be the best choice for us."

"I know exactly what you were going through with emotional decisions. When we were on the mission and we lost Rin, I had to make a very difficult choice. Granted the one I chose was what I felt was best, I also chose it because I didn't want to be shamed like my father was. In the end, you were right with going after Rin."

"So let me ask you this. If we had the same situation on a future mission with more comrades and we lost someone from our group, what would you do?"

"Are you asking what I would if we lost one person from a larger group as opposed to a three man team?"

"Yeah."

Kakashi was silent for a moment as he looked down at his bowl.

"I guess it would depend on the situation at hand and if we had a time limit to get the mission done. Either way, I would split our forces to fix the problem by sending one group after the comrade we lost while the others went to the objective," Kakashi said as he spooned another bite into his mouth.

"Good, because I would have done the same thing," Obito replied. "I hate that we place a mission's success over a comrade and so long as I'm here, I plan on changing that. I don't want any of our shinobi being shunned like your dad was."

Kakashi smiled lightly at what his friend said. He found Obito's goal of changing the values of the Shinobi Corps inspiring. When he learned of how his father was treated for going against the values of the corps, he was stunned. He could not understand why people would turn their backs on a comrade for saving his friends over completing a mission which is why he was so afraid for going after Rin in the first place instead of proceeding to the bridge to destroy it as he did not want to face what his father went through and he could not stand the thought of his comrades hating him.

"Well, I support your goal, and I want to help you reach it. I don't want any of our comrades being shunned either," Kakashi said as he reached over the table with his fist.

"Good. We'll change it together." Obito grinned as he punched Kakashi's fist with his own.

* * *

><p>Kakashi and Obito continued eating their breakfast with Kakashi continuing to tell Obito of his new tasks as a Jounin. He told Obito that the staff calls were very important and that he should always write down the key tasks that had to be accomplished by the next meeting. When they finished eating their breakfast, they paid and left the restaurant behind them.<p>

"I'll meet up with you and Minato-Sensei at the staff call. I have to hit the hospital again for a check up on my eye," Kakashi said as he turned to leave.

"I've meant to ask you about that. Can the doctors fix it up?" Obito replied.

"They've done everything they could for my eye. I only have partial vision in it now, but they told me if Rin hadn't healed my eye after we saved her, I would be half blind."

"Can't you get a transplant?"

"I probably can, but I have to see what they say after the appointment."

"Okay. Let me know how it goes after the staff call."

Kakashi gave a wave of acknowledgement as he walked off towards the hospital. Obito turned and decided to head back to the compound for a bath so he wouldn't smell putrid when he went to the staff call. His father also wanted to talk to him now that he had been promoted and he said he had something to give him. He was sure his father was going to give him the same lecture Kakashi did, but he was very curious about what it was his father wanted to give him.

_"What else am I going to experience today?"_ Obito wondered as he continued his march down the busy street.

* * *

><p><strong>That's the chapter. Sorry if it was a little shorter than you wanted it to be, but I did not want to include it with the next chapter's plot as it will get this story on its true path. So I hope this came as a treat for those of you who are still reading this. So that's all I have for you. I'm not sure when I'll update again, but keep your eyes peeled. Take a look at the story shout outs below and I'll see you next time. Later.-Captain<strong>

**Story Shoutouts:**

******Naruto vs Sasuke: The Aftermath by Kingkakashi- A story that starts directly after the failed Sasuke retrieval mission. Without a doubt one of the best stories I have come across for the Naruto category on fanfiction.** This story grips the readers attention from start up to the most recent chapter. Definitely a legendary story by an outstanding and legendary author.** (Rated one of the best Naruto authors on this site, might I add.)**

**Naruto: Potential Realised by Iron Monkey Fist**

** A damn fine addition to the Naruto archives. It is spectacular in terms of quality, plot and literature. Give it a read. I am sure you will not be disappointed. This story is one of those that I mentioned in the top author's note that blows mine out of the water.**


	6. One in a Million

**To the kind few fans that read and review this story, I am back with another chapter. Thanks again for the continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter. Please read the author's note at the bottom.**

**Bold-Jutsu**

_**Italics-Thoughts/Letters/Flashbacks**_

**Disclaimer- I do NOT own Naruto in any way and I never will. I just own the idea of the story, the story here and any possible support OCs.**

* * *

><p>Obito stood in the foyer of his house and waited for his father. He wanted to talk to him before he went out to the field again and give him something to commemorate his promotion to Jounin. His mind had conjured up a numerous possibilities, but he was unable to pinpoint a likely gift. He was broken from his thoughts when his father entered the hall a second later in his Anbu garb, mask in hand.<p>

"Ah, you're back!" Takashi smiled.

"Yeah. You said you wanted to give me something?" Obito nodded.

Takashi nodded down the hall and they walked towards the family room. They entered it a moment later and continued until they came to a stop in front of the wall. On the wall was one of their family's heirlooms. It was a decent sized, straight edge katana that belonged to his father. He pulled it off the wall and felt a wave of nostalgia hit him as he held it. It was given to him as a gift when he reached the rank of Jounin and was to be passed on to the next of kin who obtained the rank. He looked at Obito and held the blade out to him and a look of surprise came to his face.

"Gramps' blade?" Obito asked, still in disbelief.

"That's right." Takashia nodded.

Obito's hands trembled as he reached out and took the blade from his father. He remembered the old family treasure and the tradition that came with it. He then remembered all the times his father trained him in the art of the sword. The constant hours of practice and being bludgeoned by the wooden blades now added up. He could not help but admire the beautiful blade he was holding.

The sheath was black and had a polished sheen to it. The grip of the blade was a dark red and crafted with top material to allow a perfect grip to whoever used it. He gave a light tug and pulled the blade out and had to blink the bright light away after it reflected off the blade. He set the sheath down and gripped the blade with both hands as he got into a fighting stance. His arms moved and he gave three quick slashes with the blade.

"The blade is yours now," Takashi said, putting his hand on his shoulder. "Wield it with honor and keep it pristine for the day your kid becomes a Jounin. Understand?"

"Yeah." Obito nodded. "I'll take care of it, Dad."

"I know you will."

Takashia gave him another pat on the shoulder before he put on his mask. They exited the family room and walked outside.

"Your mother and I will be gone for about a week doing contingency ops. So keep the house in order," Takashi said.

"What if I get sent out on a mission?" Obito replied.

"Leave a note and tidy it up before you leave."

Obito watched his father vanish in a swirl of leaves, leaving him alone. He then looked at the blade he was holding again and grinned. Yesterday started off as the worst day of his life, but as it went on it was only getting better. Not only was he promoted, but now he was acknowledged as a man by his father by receiving the family treasure. He gave a battle cry and swung the sword again.

The blade whistled as it cut through the air. He twirled it in his hand and tucked it back in the sheath. A small click came when it locked into place. He slung the blade to his back and adjusted the straps to fit his frame. When he finished, he took a look at his watch and groaned. He had to get to the staff call that would be starting in ten minutes. The walk to the Hokage Tower was easily twenty minutes.

"Not again!" Obito sprinted down the road.

* * *

><p>Obito burst through the double doors to the conference room like a wild bull, garnering the attention of everyone inside. A fresh coat of sweat was visible on his face and he felt his face flush in embarrassment as everyone looked at him. He did his best to block out the stares and did a quick search for Kakashi and Minato. He found them near the front of the room and hurried to them.<p>

"Nice entrance." Kakashi muttered to him.

"Bite me!" Obito retorted.

They both winced as Minato flicked both of them hard on the back of their ears. While they dealt with the uncomfortable feeling, Hiruzen cleared his throat and set his papers down on the table.

"Now that everyone is here, we can get this underway," Hiruzen said, taking his pipe out of his mouth.

The meeting started off slow and just like how Kakashi said it would. There was a brief reflection about the previous meeting and the tasks that had been assigned to the Jounin in the room. Since it was war time, the majority of the training exercises had been cancelled to allow Shinobi to be deployed to the front line. The biggest tasks that was assigned was for contingency operations to be carried out to stop Iwagakure from supplying their lines by cutting down their forces in battles of attrition. The second task was for recon teams that consisted of academy students and Anbu to conduct reconnaissance missions to gain intel on enemy positions and report them up the chain of command to be marked for attack.

While these tactics had worked earlier during the war, it was becoming ineffective. The enemy caught on to their strategy and had taken measures to counter their tactics. Now their missions were only getting minor success. This led to Konoha trying to do everything in its power to bring an end to the war as soon as possible.

"Now, with Minato's team succeeding in destroying the Kannabi Bridge, we have all but crippled one of the main supply routes for Iwagakure," Hiruzen said.

"You're welcome!" Obito grinned.

"That being said, we may have a chance to end this war within the next two weeks."

Murmurs swept through the room. The possibility of ending the war within two weeks was something they could only dream of at the rate they were going. However, if Hiruzen was bringing it up, then he saw providence with the chance it provided. Enough blood had been shed and any chance that there was to end the war would be taken in a heartbeat.

Hiruzen pulled out a pointer and indicated towards the map that rested between him and his Jounin. On the map it showed each country and little figurines for friendly and enemy units. Most of the action was in Grass country and there were some missions being done in Rain country. The pointer circled a small point on the borders of Fire, Grass and Rain. It was a remote area, but there was a well-known river that ran through the three countries in that spot.

Iwagakure was using the river itself as a way to hire smugglers to get supplies across as well as transport their supplies to their fronts. There was a large city that was home to Port Hanzo which was being used as a vital route of transportation as well.

"With the Kannabi Bridge destroyed, Iwagakure only has one true route of transportation left here, and that's with this port." Hiruzen tapped the spot on the map.

"What about Deadman's Bridge?" Another Jounin spoke up. "It's another bridge that is close to that port that they've been using as a route of transportation, too."

Hiruzen nodded and shifted the pointer a little to the left. Deadman's Bridge was the last key route that offered any form of resupply to enemies on the front line. If Konoha's forces could take control over the port or destroy the bridge, it would be a decisive victory for them. The only problem that came with it was their strength was nearing its end and they were running low on Shinobi to deploy. It was at the point that they even had injured Shinobi on the front lines that were deemed unable to fight just to keep presence.

They would only be able to go for one route at a time and with both of the supply routes getting frequent traffic, it would be impossible to split the forces evenly. The only option they had was to send the remnants of their main force for Deadman's Bridge or Port Hanzo and then go for the other when it was secured.

The room buzzed again with many Jounin offering suggestions on which route to go for first, but it was too divided to come to a decision. Kakashi, Obito and Minato had remained silent and they stared at the map. There was an alternative option, but it was very risky and could cost an unnecessary amount of casualties.

"Do you two see the choice?" Minato asked them.

"I see it, but this is a longshot." Kakashi folded his arms.

"I say it's worth the risk. Whatever ends this conflict sooner is worth the chance," Obito said, sparing them a quick look.

Minato nodded and raised his hand, getting the attention of Hiruzen. The room quieted down when Hiruzen cleared his throat. He then turned back to Minato and asked for him to speak.

"Sir, my team and I have found an additional option, but it's risky," Minato began.

"We don't have many options here, Minato. Besides, there will always be a risk." Hiruzen puffed out smoke.

"Right. Anyway, here is what I was thinking…"

Minato moved up to the map and Hiruzen offered him the pointer which he took. He then pointed to Port Hanzo and then to Deadman's Bridge. He then explained that the third option he saw involved splitting up their forces, but not by much. The plan was to deploy the majority of the forces to Deadman's Bridge where most of the combat would be, but to then send out a smaller task force to act as a fast moving, lightweight recon team that consisted of a dozen of their best Shinobi to Port Hanzo to intercept any supply movements and gain support from the civilian populace to emplace an embargo.

His plan was met with some protests with the majority of them saying it was a waste of manpower and unnecessary casualties. He did not falter on his plan and waited for them to quiet down before continuing his explanation.

"I know there's a high chance that the embargo won't work, but this task force we can send out would be more of a distraction to delay enemy forces at the most," Minato continued.

"So you want this task force you are proposing to act as a distraction long enough for us to destroy Deadman's Bridge and then come back them up at Port Hanzo?" Shikaku asked, walking up to the map.

"That's right. I know it's risky, but if anything, this could split Iwagakure's forces up too."

"How so?'

"By making them try to go to our flanks which is Port Hanzo and the Kannabi Bridge which has been destroyed and is being surveyed by our Anbu."

With that revelation, those that were quick to dismiss the plan now appeared to be considering it. Just like Hiruzen said, all of the plans were risky, but this one offered a very high success rate if the task force Minato suggested to form was filled with some of their best Shinobi. The long battle of attrition had hit Iwagakure hard and they would be getting desperate to gain ground soon now that the Kannabi Bridge had been destroyed. The tide of the war had changed, and now whichever side gained ground first was guaranteed a decisive victory for the war.

"Unless anyone else has a better idea, I'd say this plan is our best option." Minato handed the pointer back to Hiruzen.

He took his place behind Kakashi and Obito again and gave them his trademark grin. He was confident that he managed to get the support of his fellow Jounin to go through with the plan, but he was not done yet. First they had to have a ruling for which option they wanted and whichever one won, they would go with it. If his plan was chosen, he knew Hiruzen would ask him to create the task force and assign the best suited Shinobi to it. Not only that, he knew who he wanted in it.

"We will put this to a vote," Hiruzen said, taking his pipe out of his mouth. "Those in favor for Minato's plan, raise your hands."

All but three hands were raised which made Minato smirk inwardly. While not one for being very cocky, he had his prideful moments like everyone else. He was proud of himself for standing up and taking charge by showing everyone a third option, and even more so that he managed to defend his plan and convinced the majority of the room to side with him. That was something that was almost unheard of. The last time something like that had happened was when Hiruzen defended his belief on a mission and was soon given the title of Hokage afterword.

"The ruling is unanimous," Hiruzen set his pointer down. "Minato, since you proposed the idea of the task force, I want you to assign the best candidates to it."

"I understand, Hokage-Sama. I've already made my decision on two of the candidates," Minato replied.

"Who might they be?"

Minato lightly pushed Obito and Kakashi to the front of the room. Both of them were surprised at their master's bold gesture. Neither of them imagined they would be part of the task force when Minato mentioned it, having believed they would be assigned with the main element. They could see the stunned looks on the faces of their fellow Jounin and knew that they would have to sell themselves to convince everyone.

"Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Obito, do you accept being the designated leaders of this task force?" Hiruzen turned to them.

Kakashi and Obito spared each other a quick look. Both were at a loss for words, but they already made up their minds.

"Hai, Hokage-Sama!" The two of them nodded.

"Then it's settled. You two have three days to recruit the best candidates to the task force and run them by Minato for confirmation. Clear?'

They nodded again. Both of them already knew that a lot of their peers from the academy were more than qualified to take part of the task force, but they wanted to give them the choice to join rather than force them. However, given how well acquainted they were with everyone, there was a slim chance that they would be turned down if they asked them to join.

The meeting concluded soon after the decision to go with Minato's plan. After Kakashi and Obito had their task force team picked out and Minato agreed with it, they were to report to Hiruzen. The mission would begin later in the week if everything went smooth and if it was done right, the war could be over the following week.

* * *

><p>Obito rubbed his tired eyes after he, Kakashi and Minato left the conference room. He was conflicted about his first staff call. On one hand he was thrilled to be doing what Kakashi was doing, but at the same time he had never been so bored in his life. He shuddered knowing that unless he was on a mission, he would have to endure two hours of that every Tuesday from there on out.<p>

"I thought we were never going to get out of there!" Obito gave an exasperated sigh.

"I told you they were dull." Kakashi shrugged, before he gave his eye smile. "Well, that's being a Jounin for you."

"I don't suppose I could accidentally get myself demoted, right?"

Kakashi gave a light laugh at Obito's response, but soon turned serious. They had work to do. The sooner they got a start on it, the quicker they could be prepared to start the mission. Everything fell on their success to put together a strong team that could carry out Minato's goal of holding Port Hanzo.

"I say we get something to eat and then pay some of our old classmates a visit," Kakashi said as he started to walk down the hall.

"Sounds good to me!" Obito hurried after him.

As they walked out of the building and down the road to the market, they bounced names back and forth to include on the task force. For the most part, they had the same people in mind, but Kakashi had shot down two of Obito's suggestions since one of them was dead and the other was paralyzed.

"Speaking of injuries, what'd the doc say about your eye?" Obito pointed at his scarred face.

"I'm going to go in for a transplant tomorrow," Kakashi answered with a smile.

"Nice. Did they say how much of vision you would have?"

"I will be back up to one hundred percent at the end of the procedure."

Obito grinned and clapped him on the back of his shoulder. He was glad that his teammate caught a lucky break and would be able to have his eye replaced without issue. He then frowned and looked down at the ground as guilt filled him. It was his fault that Kakashi had to get his eye replaced in the first place.

"Hey, Kakashi?" Obito looked back at him.

"What's up?" Kakashi replied.

"I'm sorry."

Kakashi looked a little thrown off at the sudden apology. He cocked an eyebrow in confusion, but soon got the gist of what Obito was getting at.

"Don't worry about it," Kakashi said, waving it aside.

"But…" Obito protested.

"I'd rather have lost my eye than lost Rin."

Obito closed his mouth and nodded silently. Kakashi's words made him feel a little better, but he still had that lingering guilt that he got hurt because of his carelessness. He formed a fist and vowed to himself to not let his friends take what was coming for him again.

_"Never again."_ Obito looked to the sky. _"Kakashi. Rin. This time I'll protect you."_

* * *

><p><strong>Short, yes, but still an update. I'm trying to go shorter chapters and better quality like professional authors do since I know one of my biggest problems with writing is giving an unnecessary amount of detail. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Be sure to check out my statements and shout outs below here. Thanks again, and I will see you next time.-CaptainPrice<strong>

**Statements:**

**1.) I hate to ask my readers this, but is it possible for you to mention this story to your readers? I'd like to get more feedback on this story, but I have struggled getting people to comment on it. **

**2.) This will most likely be the last update you will see for the story until August at the earliest since I will be in Arizona starting in April to conduct military training for the next four months towards my MOS.**

**Story Shout Outs:**

******Naruto vs Sasuke: The Aftermath by Kingkakashi- A story that starts directly after the failed Sasuke retrieval mission. Without a doubt one of the best stories I have come across for the Naruto category on fanfiction.** This story grips the readers attention from start up to finish.****

**Naruto: Potential Realised by Iron Monkey Fist**

** A damn fine addition to the Naruto archives. It is spectacular in terms of quality, plot and literature. Give it a read. I am sure you will not be disappointed. **


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